Forever More
by Bethany1
Summary: **Updated 4.13.03** Book 3 that began with Flee to Destiny, then No Greater Love. Only now the threat has become more personal than ever before...
1. Prologue

Author's Notes a bottom - Enjoy!  
@------  
Forever More  
Prologue  
By: Bethany  
Editor: Meara  
Rated: PG  
@------  
  
I collapsed down on the queen sized bed I shared with my husband   
of three years. The ceiling fan slowly turned, circulating a small, but   
very welcome breeze through the room. It was mid-June, just close   
enough to summer that the heat was getting to be a little much. The   
calendar hanging on the wall showed ten more days until my twenty-third   
birthday. It seemed impossible that it had been five years since I had   
traveled from the U.S. with my brother. Seemed even more impossible   
that my parents had been dead for five years.  
  
Three years ago we defeated the latest evil to threaten mankind.   
Master Pharoah 90 was, to say the least, a formable opponent. He threw   
everything from time warps to big ugly youmas at us. But in the end,   
the Sailor Senshi prevailed.   
  
Just three months after that battle, I suffered a miscarriage   
that nearly destroyed me faster than any battle with evil could have.   
Grief tore at my soul for the longest time, making me nearly go insane   
with the loss of my baby. In the end I began grief counseling, and with   
the support of my husband and friends, made it through.  
  
The baby monitor on the table beside the bed hummed quietly,   
echoing the silence that was in my house for once. On November 19,   
eighteen months ago, I gave birth to my second child; a girl, whom we   
named Keri. My beautiful baby had golden hair like mine and Shingo's,   
and ocean blue eyes that hid well the fact that she was a walking,   
running, always talking terror.  
  
Then again, perhaps I had been spoiled with Chibi-Usa. My four   
year old was so well behaved from newborn on - she never cried unless   
she had to and was always content with every situation. Her younger   
sister, Keri, was soon to drive both Mamo-chan and I insane. From the   
first night she came home from the hospital, she let us know that she   
was in no form or fashion going to be quiet and content. Those days   
were over in a flash.  
  
Age had not calmed her any, either. Just like Chibi-Usa, Keri   
began talking at an incredibly young age. Unlike Chibi-Usa, she never   
stopped talking afterwards. From dawn to dusk, Keri had an ongoing   
conversation that started as baby gibberish and soon became the only   
words she knew said over and over in different order. "No!" was her   
favorite word of all time, followed closely by "Mine!" and "Baka!" (I   
sent her to Minako's for the day after the Solider of Love taught her   
that one.)  
  
Yes, our Keri could talk non-stop, run from you and hide   
everything her small hands could grasp. Mamo-chan had been dumpster   
diving more than once for our keys. My wedding band had two trips down   
the kitchen sink - she had even flushed the Silver Crystal. The only   
person in the house unaffected by Keri's wrath was Shingo who had put a   
lock on his door so high that she couldn't reach it - yet.  
  
Outside of the dose of creativity our children gave us, life had   
been quiet for my husband and I. Since the defeat of Pharoah 90, no   
enemies had appeared in Tokyo and it seemed that it would stay that   
way. Or so I hoped.  
  
But to completely believe we had obtained peace would be naive on   
my behalf. I knew too well how it was in my line of work, knew too well   
that the end of one evil was only the beginning of another. Little did   
I know that I would be the one to breed the next enemy in our lives.  
  
--End Prologue.  
  
It will be a couple of weeks before chapter one, I hope that everyone   
is still sticking around for this story ^_^;; This is either the last   
story or the next to last, it just depends on how it's fans stick   
around. The reviews from "Flee to Destiny" and "No Greater Love" went  
down, but not enough to keep me from writing more - so keep those   
reviews coming, or drop me a line to let me know you're reading :)  
  
Huge thanks to my editor *huggles* for keeping me inline. Disclaimer:  
Yada, yada - I don't own Sailor Moon. You know the routine ^_^  
  
See you in a couple of weeks for Chapter 1 - Shingo 


	2. Shingo

Author's Notes at bottom - Enjoy!  
@------  
Forever More  
Chapter 1 - Shingo  
By: Bethany  
Editor: Meara  
Rated: PG  
@------  
  
I could hear the school bell ringing as I pushed the stroller  
along the sidewalk. Keri kicked her feet happily, gibbering away in a   
language that only she seemed to understand. On my left Chibi-Usa was   
humming, skipping ahead a few feet and then turning to wait for me to   
catch up. On my other side I heard the constant nagging of Luna as she   
padded her way along. "I don't see why I have to be out, walking. I'd   
much rather give myself a through bath and sleep the rest of the   
afternoon away," she complained, again. I had only heard this same   
sentence mumbled three times since we left my house, about five blocks   
away.  
  
We came upon the schoolyard just as Shingo was running out the   
doors and towards us. "Onii-chan!" Chibi-Usa called, running up ahead   
to get his attention.   
  
I stopped pushing Keri, who's gibbering instantly, turned to loud   
protest, and cast a wayward glance down at my guardian cat. "Luna,   
Mamo-chan said you need some exercise - it will help your labor   
along," I explained to my cat, who was due any day now. She looked   
miserable; I'll give her that. But lying around the house barking   
orders out at Artemis was about to drive us all crazy.  
  
Luna sounded more like a kitten herself when she began talking   
again, just low enough that passer-bys couldn't hear. "But I'm tired,   
Usagi-chan, surely you understand that."  
  
I nodded, looking at her with sympathy. "Okay, Luna. You can sit   
on Keri's lap on the way home."  
  
Instantly she jerked her head up, giving me a look that would   
strike me with lightening if she could muster up the strength. "No,   
thank you," she replied in a haughty voice. "I'd rather walk. She who   
turns and runs away," she began reciting. "Has fur on her back the next   
day."   
  
I chuckled, shrugging nonchalantly. "Suit yourself."  
  
Chibi-Usa returned with Shingo at her side. I turned the stroller   
around and, much to Keri's delight began pushing her again. She really   
enjoyed riding in a stroller, which was saying something since just   
about nothing else made her happy.   
  
Shingo kept in pace with me, staring at the sidewalk. Everyday he   
grew to look more and more like our father. His legs were long, making   
him nearly as tall as I was, and his features were true to mine and   
mothers. Only his hair was a shade darker than mine, more a dirty   
blonde than a honey blonde like mine. His blue eyes that were normally   
bright with mischief seemed serious today; telling me something   
important was on his mind.  
  
"How was your day?" I asked brightly, trying to keep a light tone   
so that it would be easier for him to say what was on his mind.  
  
"Fine," he replied in a monotone voice, forever staring at the   
sidewalk.  
  
"Do you have homework?" I asked.  
  
"Yeah," he replied, again giving me no more than a quick answer   
and no eye contact. Whatever was on his mind must be really important,   
I suspected, or he would just blurt it out. I decided to let him figure   
out a way to come to me, instead of pressuring him, so I grew silent.  
  
Chibi-Usa bent down, scooping Luna up in her arms and hugging   
her. I shook my head at the smug look on my guardian's face. "You're   
not helping her, Chibi-Usa," I said matter of factly.  
  
"I know, Mama," my daughter replied, grinning. "But Luna says   
that she is tired and her baby is going to be my kitten..."  
  
I rolled my eyes, turning to push the stroller up our sidewalk.   
Instantly Keri began wailing loudly, kicking her arms and legs. "No   
nap! No nap, Mama! No nap!" she cried, tears flooding her small red   
cheeks.   
  
I picked her up, giving her a stern look that made her quiet,   
somewhat. "You know you're going to take a nap, no matter how much   
screaming you do, young lady," I warned as we went in the house. Of   
course she knew, but that wasn't going to stop her from at least trying   
to get out of it.  
  
We went in the house where I tried to put Keri to bed. However, I   
soon decided that wrestling an alligator would have been easier than   
trying to put Keri down for a nap. I rocked her, sang to her, put her   
in her bed with strict instructions to lie down. Still she screamed.  
  
"Keri, why don't you just take a little nap, ne? Mama wants peace   
and quiet," I moaned, feeling my head begin to pound. Her reply was to   
begin crying louder, holding her arms up for me to pick her up out of   
the bed. I sighed and picked her up, sitting in the rocking chair.  
  
I sang, she cried. And this unmelodic harmony continued for   
another ten minutes until finally she quieted down. Slowly her cries   
were tiring her out, and she fought to keep her eyes open to stare at   
me.   
  
Just as Keri seemed to loose the battle to keep her eyes open,   
the bedroom door slowly creaked open. "Mama--" Chibi-Usa began and Keri   
instantly sat up, her eyes wide open.  
  
I groaned. "Chiba Usagi you know better than to come in here   
while I'm trying to get Keri to sleep. Now look what you've done!"  
  
"But Mama--"  
  
"No buts, Small Lady, go in your room until I come and get you."   
Chibi-Usa left the room, but I paid little attention to her, my focus   
more on Keri who was fighting to get out of my arms. As she began   
crying to get down, I felt like crying with her.  
  
Finally, about fifteen minutes later, Keri fell asleep. I placed   
her in her crib and waited anxiously to see if she would awaken. Her   
small cubby arm reached for the stuffed rabbit she normally slept with   
and I placed it near her. She grabbed it and continued to sleep. With a   
sigh of relief I tiptoed out of the bedroom and shut the door.  
  
The clock in the living room chimed the hour of four as I passed,   
going to Chibi-Usa's room. A small bunny decorated the door, Chibi-  
Usa's name painted underneath it. I knocked quickly. Faintly I heard   
Chibi-Usa's muffled voice reply: "Come in."  
  
I pushed the door open slowly, struck with surprise at what I   
saw. Toys - everywhere. Clothes, too. My mouth dropped slightly as I   
managed to pull my gaze from the cluttered floor to the bed where   
Chibi-Usa was sitting up slowly, wiping her eyes. "Small Lady," I   
breathed, pushing the pile over so that I could walk through. "What   
happened in here?"  
  
My oldest daughter gasped, her eyes widening with apparent   
surprise as she looked around. "I-I don't know, Mama."  
  
I put my hands on my hips, staring around at the drawers that   
were open, some pulled completely out of the dresser and laying upside   
down in the floor. All her stuff animals looked like they had been   
thrown carelessly around, some piled in the middle of clothes and other   
toys. "Don't lie to me, Small Lady," I commanded sternly.  
  
"But Mama, I didn't do it!" Chibi-Usa cried, fresh tears filling   
and falling from her blue eyes. "I swear I didn't do it!"  
  
"Then who did?" I asked, trying to give her the benefit of the   
doubt. Though I know Shingo wouldn't have, Keri was with me... that   
only left Chibi-Usa.  
  
Her eyes skipped guiltily around at the mess. "I can't say," she   
whispered.  
  
I threw my hand up, exasperated. "Chiba Usagi Tomoko, don't you   
dare sit there and lie to me! You are to clean up this room, spotless,   
do you understand me? Do not come out of this room until you have done   
so." I turned on my heel, left the room and closed the door hard behind   
me. On the other side I heard Chibi-Usa begin sobbing and I felt my   
heart break. It took all I had to walk away and not apologize. Giving   
in would not teach her not to lie, I had to be strong.  
  
@------  
  
Chibi-Usa still hadn't come out of her room by the time Mamo-chan   
came home from work. My husband put his briefcase down and sat in the   
recliner, beckoning me to him. Obediently I sat down on his lap and   
allowed him to wrap his strong arms around my body and kiss my face.  
  
"How was your day?" I asked, relaxing against him and listening   
to the sound of his heartbeat.  
  
"Pretty good," he replied. "Only I missed you like crazy," he   
added, winking down at me.  
  
"Oh, Mamo-chan, you were only gone eight hours," I told him   
playfully.  
  
"Eight hours too long, if you ask me. If it were up to me, I'd   
spend every moment of my life holding you like this." He breathed in   
deeply, his chest rising under my face. "Where are the children?"  
  
"Shingo is doing his homework, Chibi-Usa is cleaning her room and   
Keri is asleep, though I don't expect her to be for long. I think that   
kid has a biological time clock in her that tells her when you come   
home from work," I told him, laughing to myself. "Chibi-Usa and I got   
into it today. I can't believe it, but she lied to me. Her room was a   
disaster area and when I asked her why she done it, she said she   
didn't."  
  
"Really? That's odd," Mamo-chan noted, knowing as well as I did   
that Chibi-Usa never lied. It just wasn't in her nature. "Did she say   
who did it?"  
  
"No, she said she couldn't tell me. Want to know what the strange   
thing is? I don't think she remembers doing it. She looked so shocked   
at the mess, like she hadn't seen it before that moment."  
  
"Hmm, I'll go talk to her about it," Mamo-chan said, kissing my   
neck before I stood up.  
  
I watched him disappear down the hall as I went into the kitchen   
to begin dinner. Mako-chan had been giving me some cooking lessons, or   
near misses at cutting her life in half, as she told me the first time   
I burnt something. I was actually getting better, I believed. Of the   
things I had tried to cook, chicken curry still stayed a little beyond   
my reach. But tonight I planned on keeping it simple; hamburger and   
fries.  
  
I had finished making the patties and putting them into the   
skillet when I heard Shingo come through, sitting at the counter across   
from me. I washed my hands and dried them. Shingo said nothing until I   
turned to him.  
  
"Mom, I wanted to talk to you about something," he blurted out   
like it was pronouncing a death sentence.  
  
I turned the burgers on low and leaned against the counter, my   
attention directed to him. "You know you can tell me anything, Shingo.   
Go ahead."  
  
He played with the end of the place mat for a minute, trying, I   
supposed, to find the right words. I couldn't image what would be so   
hard to say. Finally, he began; "Maaku is going to a new school, a   
private school for boys starting the week after next. And, I wanted to   
go there, too." He stopped abruptly, looking to me with hope in his   
blue eyes.  
  
I blinked, for surely this isn't what I had thought he would ask.   
"A private school, ne? Where's it at?"  
  
Once again Shingo found my place mat increasingly interesting. I   
waited patiently for him to continue. "It's a top school; they have   
awards and things like that for education."  
  
"And it's where, again?" I prompted.  
  
"Sendai." So that was the catch. It was about 400kms away. Shingo   
must have caught the look on my face, because he began talking again, a   
lot faster than a moment ago. "It's a live-in school. They have dorms   
and the students share rooms, and they have a lot of activities and   
things to do. It'll be fun Mom, please? Please?" he begged, his voice   
drawling out.  
  
I turned back to the stove, flipping the hamburgers over and   
thinking. A part of me wanted to keep him here, close to me. Another   
part said this would be good for him - either way, it would be one of   
the hardest decisions I had ever made. I sighed. "I'll speak with Mamo-  
chan about it, okay?"  
  
"Thanks Mom!" Shingo jumped over the counter, nearly crashing   
against me as he hugged me. "I have an information packet in my room;   
I'll go get it so you can call about it."  
  
"I haven't said yes, yet, Shingo," I told him, waving the spatula   
in the air in his direction. He grinned, nodded and sprinted out of the   
room. As he passed down the hall, Keri started crying for Mamo-chan. I   
shook my head, perhaps this was the best thing for him right now.  
  
@------  
  
That night I sat at my vanity table, removing my make-up and   
thinking about a way to bring up the school to Mamo-chan. I had called   
the school and found that out tuition was expensive, a little more than   
I had really wanted to pay out. But Shingo was so excited; I thought   
discussing it with my husband wouldn't hurt anything. If need be, I   
would go back to work to pay for it, but I didn't think it would be a   
problem.  
  
Over the baby monitor sitting on our bedside table, I heard Mamo-  
chan lay Keri down in her bed and then check on Chibi-Usa. A few   
minutes after he came into our room, closing the door behind him   
softly. "Are they asleep?" I asked, looking at him through my mirror.  
  
"Finally," he replied, taking his robe off and sitting on the bed   
to watch me brush my hair out. "I think Keri is my pay back for   
anything I ever done wrong as a child. Although I don't recall being   
that stubborn; perhaps I'm getting paid back for what you done."  
  
I turned in my seat, proclaiming in my most haughty voice: "I'll   
have you know that Chibi-Usa takes after me, Keri is all yours."  
  
Before Mamo-chan could think of a suitable come back, Luna piped   
in from where she lay at the foot of our bed. "I can second that   
opinion. Usagi-chan was a well behaved child." She moaned as she   
stretched out, her stomach protruding at both sides.  
  
"Daijiabou, Luna?" Mamo-chan asked, placing his hand on her   
stomach and feeling for the little one inside.  
  
Luna nodded weakly and rolled over on her side. Artemis, who sat   
by her side, watched with silent worry etched on his face. "A bit   
tired, is all. The kitten has been very active today, more so than   
usual. That walk Usagi-chan made me take today didn't help anything."  
  
"Walk?" I asked, turning in my seat and raising my eyebrow at my   
guardian feline. "You call Chibi-Usa carrying you a walk? At least the   
fresh air may have done some good."  
  
"You do need exercise," Mamo-chan said gently, though Luna   
grimaced as though she had swallowed bitter syrup. "You seem to be very   
close to giving birth. You'll be thankful you walked around when it's   
time."   
  
Luna, as stubborn as they come (I wonder if Keri gets it from   
her?), rolled her eyes back and proceed to go on as if Mamo-chan hadn't   
said a word. "I'm ready for this kitten to be born already."  
  
"I know how that feels, remember I was a week over due with Keri.   
Of course, I should have known then how stubborn she would be in   
life." I sighed, putting my brush down. Any time was as good as now, I   
supposed, to bring up Shingo's desire to go to a private school. "By   
the way, Mamo-chan, Shingo came to be today and asked if he could   
attend a private boys school in Sendai and I told him I would talk to   
you about it," I said nonchalantly, as though it hadn't been the main   
focus of my thoughts since dinner.  
  
"Why does he want to go to a school that far away?" Mamo-chan   
wondered aloud.  
  
"Maaku is going there, too. And he's about the only friend Shingo   
has. I called them today." I told Mamo-chan about the school, trying to   
emphasize more on the good it would do them, rather than the money it   
would cost us.  
  
Surprisingly, Mamo-chan nodded thoughtfully when I finished. "I   
do think it will do him some good. If it's the school I'm thinking of,   
they have a very small teacher-student ratio and the special attention   
could be the thing to get Shingo's grades up."  
  
Nodding my agreement in what I hoped was a passive way I went   
back to brushing my hair. My heart pounded in my chest, though. I felt   
excited for Shingo, but also apprehensive. Shingo hadn't been more than   
a couple of miles from my side since he was six years old. I could   
already feel my heart aching with how much I would miss him.  
  
We climbed into bed, Mamo-chan turning the light off and casting   
dark shadows around the room. Curled up in my soul mate's arms, I fell   
fast asleep.  
  
A sleep that wasn't too last long, however. Groggily, still half   
believing that I was dreaming I felt something poking my arm. Flinging   
my arm up, I turned over.  
  
"Usagi! Wake up, Usagi!"  
  
Now why would someone in my dream be telling me to wake up? The   
thought was ridiculous, to say the least. Determinedly I buried my face   
in Mamo-chan's chest, waving my hand behind me. "Go away," I said to   
whoever it was.  
  
There was a conspiracy in this house, I knew. Because in a few   
minutes I heard my bedroom door squeak open and the shuffling of small   
feet came over to the bed. This time the intruder was trying to wake   
Mamo-chan up. "Papa, papa!"  
  
"No Chibi-Usa, you have to sleep in your own bed," Mamo-chan   
replied, his voice muffled by my hair.  
  
Chibi-Usa came over to the other side of the bed, poking her   
index finger in my shoulder. "Mama, wake up! Mama!"  
  
"You heard your father," I replied.  
  
My reply was followed by a snort of impatience by my daughter,   
followed by her running out of the room - not softly, either - and   
slamming the door. I grunted, now awake enough to wonder why everyone   
was so intent on waking me up. But not so awake to make myself get up   
to check.  
  
I didn't have to terribly long to wonder, however. "Mom!" Shingo   
yelled just moments later, bursting in our room and turning the light   
on. "Dad, get up!"  
  
Both Mamo-chan and I sat up, blurry eyed and groggy, and stared   
at our children like they had gone mad. "What in the name of all that   
is good do you want at (I took a quick glimpse at the clock) 1 a.m.? It   
better be good--"  
  
"Or I, Tuxedo Kamen, will not forgive you!" Mamo-chan declared,   
one arm in the air and his eyes still closed. Arm still raised, he fell   
back onto his pillows.  
  
My mouth fell open, all previous thoughts having fled my mind   
completely in light of what my husband just said. I'm sure the look on   
my face was an amusing sight, for both Shingo and Chibi-Usa - emergency   
of the moment forgotten - busted out in giggles. I blinked, looking at   
Mamo-chan in near disbelief. "Ne, Mamo-chan, your speeches are even   
corny when you're asleep!"  
  
"Haha," my soul mate replied, burying his face in his pillows   
while mumbling something to the effect of: "Yours aren't any better."  
  
Remembering we had two sets of eyes watching us curiously, I   
turned back to them, trying to stop my own laughter. "What is it you   
two want, anyways?"  
  
"Luna is in labor!" both Shingo and Chibi-Usa shouted together.  
  
Mamo-chan sat up, his eyes still half shut. "Okay, you're   
forgiven," he mumbled, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. I   
watched him grab his doctor's bag, try to put a robe on while holding   
it, and then finally deciding it was better done the other way. Getting   
up and putting a robe on myself, I followed Mamo-chan and the children.   
It would be interesting, at least, to see just what it was Mamo-chan   
thought it was going to do to my guardian cat.  
  
@------  
  
We found Luna lying in a pet bed (that she hadn't used until   
tonight) in the kitchen. I sat at the table with Chibi-Usa and Shingo.   
Both were far too excited to sleep, especially Chibi-Usa. Every time   
Luna made a small sound, Chibi-Usa would squeal: "Is my kitten here   
yet?!"  
  
It was by far a comic sight. Between Chibi-Usa squealing, Shingo   
jumping up to check, only to return shaking his head, and Mamo-chan   
trying his best to treat Luna like a pregnant woman, not cat - I could   
have busted out laughing had it not been for another cat in the house.   
Honestly, I didn't know who to feel sorrier for - Luna who was in   
labor, or Artemis who looked like he was.  
  
I watched as he paced the length of the kitchen, his face   
grimacing in pain every time Luna made a small sound. Back and forth he   
walked until I thought he would wear a path in my floor. "Sit down,   
Artemis! Walking back and forth is not helping anyone," I insisted in a   
soothing, yet persistent, voice.  
  
He simply shook his head, and continued to walk. "I can't stop,   
Usagi. If I do I may go crazy."  
  
So he walked, Chibi-Usa squealed, Shingo checked on Luna, I sat   
and Mamo-chan kept urging Luna to "breathe" (at which she replied:   
"What the hell does it look like I'm doing?!). After an hour of this,   
the routine settled some. The end of the second hour found Shingo and   
Chibi-Usa asleep at the table, their heads on their arms, Mamo-chan   
with his head propped on his hands, half asleep, and Artemis still   
walking.  
  
It's funny how it all worked out. By the time Luna gave birth to   
her first kitten, Artemis and I were the only ones awake. The white cat   
gave a huge yelp, which woke everyone in the house up (including Keri)   
laughing as he danced around the kitchen, repeating the same phrase:   
"I'm a Papa! Yippee!"  
  
Mamo-chan woke up, Shingo and Chibi-Usa following as they stared   
at the tiny black kitten that lay neck to Luna. A few minutes later, we   
were staring at two black kittens. By this time, Artemis was beyond   
repair. He jumped up and down, sliding on the tile floor while   
screaming to the world that he was once again a papa.  
  
Luna began cleaning her young ones while I urged Shingo and   
Chibi-Usa back to bed. The two went, arguing all the way, and I was   
free to calm Keri back down and get her to sleep. By the time I   
returned, Mamo-chan was again in the floor next to Luna. Curiously, I   
walked over. The first thing I noticed was another kitten lying against   
Luna, this one smoke gray. The second thing I noticed was the lack of   
Artemis skidding across the floor. When I inquired about him, Luna   
pointed with her paw.   
  
Artemis was lying in front of Mamo-chan; passed out.  
  
@------  
  
Two weeks later Shingo left for school. It took all I had not to   
cry as we unloaded his trunk from the car and carried it into his dorm   
room. I had to say though, I was impressed by the living quarters at   
the school. The room Shingo shared with his best friend, Maaku, was as   
large as my living room, one twin sized bed on either side with bedside   
tables beside them. Between the two tables a large window over looked   
the grounds. Each had a tall dresser, a desk with a lamp and chair and   
a closet on their side of the room.  
  
I walked over to the window, peering out at what would be   
Shingo's view. Keri pointed at the group of children playing baseball   
in the field, "ohhing" as the ball soared into the air.   
  
"Wonderful view, ne?" a voice behind me asked. I turned to see a   
man standing in the doorway, a friendly smile curled on his thin lips.   
Funny how he had such thin lips, I thought as I walked towards him, God   
knows nothing else about him was small. His body seemed to fill the   
frame of the door to the brim, and nearly completely lock out the light   
that spilled in from beyond. His unruly brown hair looked has he had   
ran his fingers through it many times and his mustache needed trimming,   
I thought. He held out his hand to me, and I tentatively placed my hand   
in his much larger one. "You must be Shingo's mother, I presume?"  
  
"Hai," I replied, trying not to seem rude as I pulled my hand   
from his. "I'm sorry, you are?" I asked, trying to adjust Keri on my   
hip who was wanting down so she could wander around.  
  
"Oh, my name is Wang Osuka, I'm the Head Teacher. I meet your   
husband, son and daughter in the corridor just moments ago. Wonderful   
family you have, Chiba-san."  
  
I smiled, again trying to restrain Keri as she tried - and failed   
- at another attempt to get down. I could see her face scrunch up out   
of the corner of my eye as she got ready to let out a howl of   
frustration. I continued to smile as the Head Teacher began explaining   
about the activities the school offered after classes were over,   
silently wishing he would remember something he just had to do   
elsewhere.   
  
"I understand that Shingo has ADHD, Chiba-san. Now, I know that   
right now that seems like a bit much, but believe me, it's not all as   
bad as it sounds. As an adolescent, yes, he had pent up energy. But we   
can provide him with activities to focus that energy, help him to   
release it in positive ways. Overly energetic children grow up to be   
active adults who have seemingly endless energy. They move up in the   
world quickly, have a knack for creative ideas and...."   
  
I'm not sure if this was a blessing or not, but it was at that   
precise moment that Keri decided that her attention was at it's wits   
end and promptly she let out a scream that would have had Beryl running   
like her skirts were on fire. I tried to cover my ears, but since Keri   
was next to one of them, it was quite impossible. At first Osuka seemed   
amused by Keri's outburst, but as it continued, his smile turned to one   
of bewilderment, and then of one who's eardrums were about to burst.  
  
"Keri, darling, shhh," I calmed, looking around desperately for   
something to attract her attention. The problem was, she wanted to go   
outside, and that was a little impossible at the moment.   
  
Thankfully, my husband took that moment to come in, plucking Keri   
from my arms and swinging her up in the air. Like someone had turned   
her faucet of tears off, Keri instantly stopped crying and giggled as   
Mamo-chan swung her up again. "What's Papa's angel crying about, ne?" I   
scowled at him under my breath, muttering about her being completely   
him made over.  
  
Shingo burst in the room behind Mamo-chan, Maaku right beside   
him. "Isn't this great, Mom? They have every kind of club you can think   
of, even a unicycle club!" he spilled excitedly, handing me a leaflet   
to look through. Indeed, it seemed they had everything here that he   
could possibly want to do.  
  
Seconds after Shingo, Chibi-Usa came stomping in the room,   
mumbling something under her breath. When she seen me staring at her,   
she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes shifting away. I started to   
ask her what was wrong when Osuka clapped his hands together and   
motioned us out the door. "I just have some papers for you to fill out,   
Chiba-san, and we'll be all done here."  
  
It was on the tip of my tongue to say I wasn't ready to leave   
Shingo yet, but when I looked my young brother wasn't remotely   
interested in what we were doing anyway as he opened his trunk and   
started pulling out model cars to sit on his nightstand. Mamo-chan told   
him we'd be right back and he nodded, waving his hand with little   
interest. A pang of hurt pulled at my heart, it was starting already,   
his separation from me. Somehow I knew it was going to hurt me more   
than him.  
  
We entered the Head Teacher's office, which was across the hall   
from the Principal's, and sat down. In the corner sat a box of toys   
that Chibi-Usa tricked Keri into coming to look at, giving Mamo-chan   
and I a chance to talk without her going hysterical again. Osuka gave   
Mamo-chan a folder and a pen, explaining that there were merely   
accident report forms, emergency contact numbers and medical release   
forms that we needed to fill out before we left.   
  
Time has a strange way of going by much quicker when you don't   
want it to. It seemed mere minutes had passed and the forms were filled   
out, and we were standing to leave. My stomach felt like a lead ball   
had been placed in the bottom of it.  
  
Tugging an unwilling Keri along, the four of us made our way back   
to Shingo's room to say goodbye. Mamo-chan handed him some money,   
telling him to keep half of it for supplies he would need and the other   
to spend on himself, hugged him bye and moved to the doorway to allow   
me to come closer. I stared at Shingo for a long moment, trying to   
memorize how happy he looked standing in his dorm room. This was the   
right thing, I told myself. He's so happy, he deserves this. I bit my   
bottom lip to keep from sobbing instead of talking. "Erm, if you need   
anything, you know the number. And... and call us, every week, to let   
us know how you are. And if you want to come home.."  
  
"I know, just call," Shingo said, smiling in a way that said he   
didn't plan on coming home until winter break. The lump in my chest   
grew heavier still.  
  
"Be good, and take your medicine," I mumbled, pulling him to me   
for a hug. He squeezed my ribs so hard it hurt and kissed my cheek as   
he backed away.  
  
"Don't worry Mom," he said easily, much more easily than I could   
have. "I'll be fine, it's not like you'll never see me again."  
  
I smiled, trying with all my might to hold back the tears that   
threatened to fall from my face. I couldn't bring myself to say good-  
bye, so I simply walked over to stand next to Mamo-chan who instantly   
put his arm around my shoulder. Shingo rubbed his hand in Chibi-Usa's   
strawberry hair affectionately. "Be good, brat," he smiled. She nodded,   
hugging him briefly before joining us at the door.  
  
We got into the car in silence, even Keri seemed subdued as we   
pulled out of the school grounds and towards the highway. The backseat   
was less crowded; empty it seemed, with only a car seat and Chibi-Usa.   
I turned around and stared at the scenery, listening to the music on   
the radio. A light drizzle began, soon turning into a steady downpour.   
The windshield wipers rocked back and forth, pulling me into a   
dreamless sleep.  
  
In my mind a mere few minutes had passed until suddenly Mamo-chan   
was gently kissing my face, telling me to wake up. I blinked back the   
sleep in my eyes and looked up at his handsome face. He had parked   
inside our garage because of the continuing rain outside. I stretched,   
looking in the backseat to see Chibi-Usa and Keri both sound asleep.   
"What time is it?" I mumbled, realizing I would have to wake them both   
up to eat something or they would get up in the middle of the night.  
  
"Nine o'clock. They haven't been asleep long," Mamo-chan said as   
he got out and opened the backdoor to get Keri from her car seat. I did   
the same, picking Chibi-Usa up and shutting the door with my foot. We   
went in the house, putting the children in their beds while I fixed   
something to eat. The house was so quiet that it un-nerved me for a   
moment, my feet padding across the kitchen floor seemed to echo.  
  
I found Luna and Artemis curled up beside their sleeping kittens.   
I smiled softly, using extra care not to make too much noise and wake   
them.  
  
@------  
  
Chibi-Usa down right refused to wake up and eat. I poked her   
gently, telling her to get up, but she mumbled something incoherent and   
snuggled deeper in the blankets. Despite what I said about Chibi-Usa   
being completely my daughter, she did have her father's sleeping   
habits. Nothing short of an explosion would get her out of the bed if   
she could help it. Getting her ready for school in the morning was a   
nightmare.  
  
So instead of pushing it, I gently pulled her clothes off her and   
slid a gown over her head. I tucked her in, kissed her goodnight and   
turned the lights out on my way out.  
  
She didn't wake up once.  
  
I'm still not quite sure whom my other daughter took after,   
though. I went in to wake her up and nearly jumped out of my skin when   
she sprang up in a sitting position and began laughing. Anyone who   
could wake up that cheerful could be no kid of mine, I thought as I   
carried a bouncing Keri into the kitchen for dinner. If it weren't for   
the fact that she looked exactly like me, I would have sworn there was   
a switch at birth.  
  
Outside of Keri talking to herself; her spoon, her plate, her cup   
and the ceiling - our dinner was quiet. Already I missed Shingo's   
laughter as he teased Chibi-Usa, or his constant chatter about   
something someone had done at school. I tried not to dwell on it, and   
instead forced another bite into my mouth and chewed slowly. Mamo-chan   
- of course - nearly swallowed his food whole, finished off his drink   
and was rummaging through the fridge for desert when I decided I had   
had enough and began putting the dirty dishes in the sink.  
  
I washed the dishes quickly and began drying them so that I could   
put Keri to bed and go to sleep myself. Keri was talking to someone or   
something in a very excited voice, stopping to take a bite of Mamo-  
chan's ice cream every now and then. The peaceful lull that had settled   
over us, however, came to a crashing halt when Keri suddenly stopped   
talking and instantly began crying. I shook my head, turning to tell   
Mamo-chan to get her some more ice cream when I seen Chibi-Usa standing   
in the doorway.  
  
Her blue eyes were wide open, so far that the white of her eye   
seemed to be drowning out her pupils. Her mouth was twisted in a look   
of horror and she was waving her hands out in front of her like she was   
trying to clear away invisible spider webs. Dropping the cup into the   
sink, I took a step towards her, but Mamo-chan put his arm out to stop   
me. "Don't," he said softly, but the command behind his voice was   
unmistakable.  
  
I wanted to scream, but my voice failed me. Mamo-chan slowly   
reached forward, grabbed Keri from her highchair and handed her to me.   
For a moment I felt so numb I thought I might drop her. My youngest   
continued crying, though softer now, with a look of horror on her face   
that nearly matched Chibi-Usa's. Beyond her, I saw Mamo-chan slowly   
approach Chibi-Usa, trying not to startle her. He turned her around,   
trying to lead her back to bed, but she wouldn't budge.   
  
"Easy, baby, come back to bed," he whispered to her.  
  
Instead of soothing her, his soft words seemed to terrify her.   
She began shaking her head, whimpering. I bit my lip as Mamo-chan tried   
to console her. I knew you weren't suppose to wake up someone who was   
sleep walking, but something told me this wasn't just her body living   
what was in her dream. No, this was different, somehow. I put Keri   
down. Assuming she was scared of the way Chibi-Usa was acting, she ran   
around the kitchen and into the living room as fast as her small legs   
would carry her.  
  
I stepped forward, ignoring Mamo-chan as I reached towards Chibi-  
Usa. "Usako, don't wake her!" my husband hissed urgently, trying to   
hold me back. But I couldn't just stand there, watching her face look   
so terrified.  
  
Quickly I ran forward, pulling her into my arms. She fought,   
withering in my arms and beginning to scream. "No!" she whimpered.   
"He's... he's going to hurt.... stop him.... Mama, where are you?" I   
felt the tears spill from my eyes at her words. She sounded like she   
was all alone, she had no idea I was there!  
  
From behind me I heard Mamo-chan trying to reason with her and   
me. Trying to take her from me, he pulled at my arms, but I refused to   
budge. "Chibi-Usa, I'm here," I cried to her as she called my name,   
over and over, into a chant. I shook her gently, calling her name.   
Finally she stopped, dropping into my arms. Her breathing was shallow,   
her chest heaving with the effort to inhale.   
  
Horrified, I allowed Mamo-chan to pull her from my arms without a   
word, he scooped her up and carried her into her bedroom. I bit my   
thumbnail as I staggered in the room behind her. "Mamo-chan?" I   
whispered as he grabbed his doctor's bag and produced a small light.   
Pushing both her eyelids open, he shined the light in her eyes one by   
one. "What's wrong with her?" I whispered, coming to sit on the   
opposite side of her twin bed. "Mamo-chan?" He checked her pulse and   
then took her temperature. "What is wrong with her?!" I demanded in a   
voice so high and so shrill, I would have never recognized it as my   
own. Keri came to stand beside me, silent tears still wetting her face.  
  
"Her eyes are dilating, pulse normal, temperature normal," he   
mumbled to himself, rather than to me. "Blood pressure is slightly   
high... She's not in shock..." Biting on my knuckle now, I watched as   
he propped another pillow behind her and pulled the covers up to her   
chin. Finally he turned to me. "She seems fine now. It seemed a little   
intense for just a nightmare, though." I couldn't speak, or take my   
eyes from Chibi-Usa, even though Keri was pulling on my hand and   
crying.  
  
For a few minutes we both just stared at our eldest daughter, but   
she slept on peacefully. Slowly Mamo-chan stood up, putting his stuff   
back in his bag and shutting it. He picked Keri up in one arm, his bag   
in the other and went to the doorway. "Usako?"  
  
"I'm going to stay in here with her," I whispered, laying down   
next to her on the bed and pressing her body to mine. "So if she calls   
for me, I'll be here."  
  
He nodded and shut the light out. He put Keri to bed, and then a   
few minutes later I heard him go into our bedroom. For hours it seemed,   
I laid awake and listened to the sound of her even breathing. Sometime   
near dawn, I went and got in the bed with Mamo-chan, making sure the   
baby monitor was on high volume.  
  
I slid under the sheets and laid my head on the pillow. Almost   
like he had been waiting for me to come to bed, Mamo-chan wrapped his   
arms around me. "How is she?"  
  
"She didn't wake up anymore," I replied. He mumbled something I   
didn't understand, and by the time I thought to ask him about it, he   
was asleep once more. But I couldn't sleep--every time I closed my eyes   
I saw Chibi-Usa's face as she came in the kitchen. Her eyes looked so   
haunted, so petrified that it gave me chills. What had scared her so   
much? And why did she seem to think I wasn't going to be there to help   
her?  
  
--End Chapter 1.  
  
And so ends chapter one. My editor had all sorts of ideas about what I  
was attempting to do with Shingo in this chapter with everything from  
this being a convient way to boot him off for a while, to my evil mind  
having something in store for him. My reply? Guess you'll have to read  
and see, ne? *avoids flying pots and pans aimed at my head* Look, with  
out hook endings, I might not have any constant readers. Gotta keep you  
all coming back somehow, don't I? ^.~ I'm kidding! I know you all keep   
reading, I see your reviews and find myself sitting at my computer,   
grinning to myself like a mad woman *cackles and huggles everyone*   
Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, but then you've heard this before,  
ne? I wonder where... how... oh wait! I know! I've been writing SM   
fanfiction for three long years and damnit if I've figured out how to   
take over copyrights since then, so it's still not mine. If I do figure  
out how to take over things, SM and Harry Potter are first on my list :)  
  
Please stayed turned for Chapter 2 - which hasn't been named yet, but   
I have started writing it! ^-^v 


	3. Myth or Man?

@------  
Forever More  
Chapter 2 - Myth or Man?  
By: Bethany  
Editor: Meara  
Rated: PG  
@------  
  
There was a loud squeal, followed by a short lived scream that  
jolted me out of bed the next morning. Well, I say morning, but in   
reality it was five minutes till twelve. Shocked at how late I had   
stayed in the bed, I shoved the covers aside and ran to the door just   
as Keri came running down the hall as fast as she could. I barely   
caught her in mid runand pulled her into the door of my bedroom as a   
short blonde slid down the hall and slammed into the wall. Poking our   
heads out, Keri and I watched Minako get herself off the floor to a   
standing position and push blonde hair out of her face.  
  
"Minako-chan?" I whispered in surprise.  
  
She laughed airily, rubbing her left elbow. "I forgot you have   
hardwood floors," she muttered as I glanced down at her socked feet. I   
had learned my first week living in my house that socks and hardwood   
floors didn't mix in any form or fashion. The Senshi of Love carefully   
made her way to where I stood, grabbed her cell phone out of Keri's   
hand and wiped the screen off with her shirt edge. "She called a really   
long number, from the accent of the guy who answered, I'd say France,"   
she sighed, shaking her head.   
  
"Gomen, Minako-chan, I'll pay for the call when you get the   
bill." We walked into the living room where Chibi-Usa was laying on the   
floor, watching cartoons and kicking her feet back and forth. I sat   
Keri down beside her and beckoned Minako into the kitchen. "Not that I   
don't appreciate it," I began. "But what are you doing here?"  
  
Minako pushed herself up on the counter, picking up an apple and   
biting into it. "Mamoru-san called me this morning and told me what   
happened last night, and then asked if I'd come watch the kids so you   
could get some sleep. So here I am!" she finished, taking another bite   
of the apple.  
  
I knew that Mamo-chan left for work at 7:30 a.m. and from the   
look of Minako, she had jumped out of bed and into the car. I shook my   
head, smiling. It would never stop amazing me what good friends I had.   
  
Suddenly Minako stopped in mid bite, staring at the floor as   
something black went streaking across it and into the hall. Following   
shortly was Artemis, skidding to a halt just inches before he slammed   
into the wall. His face was full of determination as he completely   
ignored us and continued down the hall at a face paced run. I no more   
had looked away when I seen Luna coming around the edge of the counter,   
a black and gray kitten in tow. She looked worn out.  
  
"Daijobu ka* Luna?" I asked, Minako and I both looking at her   
worriedly.  
  
She stopped, sitting down and shaking her head. "You just   
wouldn't believe how much energy these three have, it's wearing me   
out," Luna mumbled, not usually one to complain about anything. Somehow   
I had a feeling she was regretting wanting the kittens born. Now that   
they were, at any time of the day or night I would see her or Artemis -   
or in some cases, both - chasing the kittens around the house.  
  
"Luna, there's really nothing they can get into around here that   
Keri hasn't already gotten to first," I told her sympathetically.  
  
At that precise moment Artemis returned to the kitchen, carrying   
the only male kitten of the litter. He was nearly solid black, except   
for his white paws. Shining brightly on his, and his sisters foreheads,   
were a bright crescent moon. Artemis dropped him at his mother's feet   
and sat down hard, still trying to catch his breath. "Ryuu**, apologize   
to your mother," Artemis instructed sternly.  
  
"But I was--" the small kitten began, head bowed.  
  
"Now!" Artemis bellowed. Ryuu mumbled something that might have   
resembled "gomen" if his head hadn't been bowed and was talking to the   
tile rather than anyone in the room.  
  
Luna sighed, shaking her head. "Okay Ryuu, go back to the bed."   
Obediently the kitten set off, past his sisters who were snickering,   
and around the corner. The kittens were barely four weeks old, and had   
already began talking expertly and walking - though awkwardly. Ryuu's   
disappearing form looked like his back legs were higher than the front,   
but he still made good time; especially when running from Artemis.  
  
Behind Luna sat the other two kittens, both girls. One solid   
black and the other smoke gray with the tiniest bit of white on her   
neck. The black one peered cautiously up at her mother. "Yes   
Otome***?" Luna said without even looking down.  
  
"Mama, can Diana and I go play with Chibi-Usa-chan?"  
  
Luna seemed to consider this for a moment as Artemis jumped into   
Minako's lap to be petted. "Yes, go on. But don't get into anything,   
ne?" she nearly begged her girls. They both nodded, taking off for the   
living room.   
  
Luna headed back into the utility room where I had set up their   
bed. Minako and I both glanced at Artemis, who from the looks of it,   
was seriously thinking of going to sleep as Minako rubbed his back.   
Suddenly, however, he looked towards the room Luna had disappeared   
into, looking rather worried. "I hope we live through this," Artemis   
mumbled.   
  
From inside the living room I heard Keri giggling and Chibi-Usa   
yelling for her to leave the television remote alone. Just then the   
volume on the T.V. was turned up as loud as it would go and the sound   
of the cartoons on were blaring. I laughed hollowly as I put down my   
sandwich and started for the living room. "Don't worry, Artemis, we can   
all check into the loony bin together."  
  
After I had reclaimed the remote from my youngest, and saved our   
ear drums, Minako and I made lunch and put the kids down for a nap. The   
house was so quiet and peaceful that I finally couldn't stand it   
anymore. Minako followed me into the kitchen as I turned on the radio   
and began cleaning out the refrigerator. Minako, even though I insisted   
she sat, began washing dishes.  
  
"So you have no idea what happened with Chibi-Usa?"  
  
"No," I replied, pulling out a bowl of very dried rice. Shaking   
my head I emptied the contents into the garbage and handed the bowl to   
Minako. "Did she say nothing to you this morning?"  
  
"I kept a close eye on her, but she didn't mention anything.   
Strange, ne?"   
  
I started to reply when my ear caught something else, something   
not from the radio and definitely not from the cats. Minako must have   
heard it, too, because she crossed the kitchen to turn the radio off   
and picked up the baby monitor.  
  
After listening for a moment, I looked up at the Senshi of Love,   
but she looked as puzzled as I did. "Who is Chibi-Usa talking to?" I   
wondered allowed, listening to the sound of my daughter's voice over   
the speaker. "Do you think she's having another nightmare?"  
  
Without another word said between us, Minako and I went to Chibi-  
Usa's bedroom and carefully opened the door. Chibi-Usa was sitting on   
the middle of her bed, talking animatedly to.. herself? I blinked,   
making sure I was seeing right. But there was no one in the room but   
her.  
  
"No," she whispered. "You have to lay down, if you make another   
mess like the last one, I'll be in big trouble again," she whispered,   
looking around cautiously. That's when she seen Minako and I in the   
doorway. She gasped, laying down quickly. Some books suddenly were   
thrown from her bedside table and a couple of stuffed animals seemingly   
flew across the room by themselves.  
  
I ran into the room, looking everywhere. But just as quickly as   
everything had started flying by itself, it stopped. "Chibi-Usa!" I   
gasped, horrified. "What was that?"  
  
Chibi-Usa's blue eyes were as large as saucers, but she only   
shook her head, pulling her blanket up to her mouth. Suddenly her toy   
box was thrown over, the contents spilling over the floor. "No!" she   
screamed, shaking her head.  
  
"What is going on?!" I shrieked, picking her up and running for   
the door, Minako on my tail.  
  
"He won't hurt you, Mama! He won't!" Just then her dresser was   
tipped sideways and slammed down, blocking our path out of the room. I   
jumped over it, hearing something else crash in her room but not taking   
the time to see what it was.  
  
"Minako-chan, get Keri!" I nearly yelled, running down the hall   
as fast as I could go. The entire time Chibi-Usa was still in my arms,   
crying. My heart pounded painfully in my ears as I ran to the garage,   
putting Chibi-Usa in the backseat. "Stay here!"  
  
"But Mama--!"  
  
"Stay put Small Lady!" I repeated, running back in the house for   
Luna, Artemis and the kittens. Minako passed me as I went back in,   
carrying a disoriented Keri and a baby bag. I scooped up my purse and   
keys on my way to the utility room. "Luna, Artemis - get the kittens we   
have to get out of here!"  
  
They asked no questions. I grabbed Diana just as Luna and Artemis   
picked the other two up in their mouths and we left. As I closed my   
back door I heard another crash from down the hall, which only made me   
move faster.  
  
I had no idea where I was driving; I backed out of the driveway,   
put the car in drive and slammed my foot on the gas. Chibi-Usa was in   
the backseat, still crying, and Keri was staring around like she was   
too stunned to say or do anything.   
  
I don't remember getting there, but suddenly the many steps   
leading to the Hikawa Shrine loomed above us. I stopped, still shaking,   
and got out of the car. Minako quietly grabbed Keri while I ushered   
Chibi-Usa up the many steps. Still sniffling, Chibi-Usa said nothing as   
I hurried to the side door and knocked.  
  
"Usagi?" Rei's voice went from surprise to puzzlement in the   
matter of a second. She opened the door wider, letting us in. Her eyes   
darted from me, to Chibi-Usa whose blood shot eyes looked down quickly,   
to Minako, Keri and finally the cats before coming back to rest on me.   
"What--?"  
  
"Could we go sit somewhere?" I asked quietly in response.  
  
Rei's violet eyes blinked as if registering what I was saying and   
then she nodded dully. "Of course." We followed her into the part of   
the house where she lived and into a living room. I sat on the sofa,   
Minako sitting silently on my left and Chibi-Usa to my right. Rei sat   
across from us, anxiously waiting for someone to tell her what was   
going on.  
  
I cleared my throat, trying to sort out where would be a good   
place to begin. I explained quickly about what had been happening at my   
house, beginning with Chibi-Usa's room being destroyed three weeks ago   
and ending with why we fled just half an hour ago. I noticed out of the   
corner of my eye that Chibi-Usa had went pale as I finished.  
  
Rei looked dumbfounded. She folded her arms over her chest and   
sat back, staring at Minako and I. Suddenly her line of vision strayed   
to Chibi-Usa. "You said it wouldn't hurt Usagi, Chibi-Usa-chan? But   
what was it?"  
  
Stubbornly my eldest daughter shook her head, her blue eyes wide   
as she stared at us, but didn't speak. I buried my face in my hands for   
a moment, staring at the black under my lids. "I'm going to have to   
call Mamo-chan at work and tell him. And he'll come racing home like a   
bat out of hell," I mumbled, fumbling through my purse for my cell   
phone.  
  
Rei also picked up her phone. "I think we should call everyone,   
let them know what's happening.."  
  
"No, no," I replied, trying to think coherently enough to   
remember Mamo-chan's work number. "I don't want to alarm everyone and   
having them drop what they're doing to come running. Mako-chan's   
restaurant just opened two days ago, she needs to be there. Haruka,   
Michiru.... well, let's just call Ami and see what we can make of this   
before alerting everyone."   
  
Rei opened her mouth as if to say something, thought better of   
it, and nodded. She quickly dialed Ami's number as I called Mamo-chan.   
Chibi-Usa watched me closely as I told Mamo-chan what happened, a   
mixture of worry and fear on her face.  
  
Not twenty minutes later both Ami and Mamo-chan knocked on the   
door together, having came from the same hospital. Ami, with almost a   
hint of excitement on her face at finally having something more   
interesting than a pregnancy come her way, whipped out her palm top and   
began typing away like a mad woman on a mission. She scanned Chibi-Usa   
from every available angle she could manage, and when that produced   
nothing out of the ordinary, actually began scanning Keri, Mamo-chan   
and I. She finished looking disappointed, but not undetermined.   
"Nothing wrong there, but I suggest we go over to the house so that we   
can see if whatever it was is still there."  
  
"If it is?" Minako asked.  
  
"Well, we fight it, I assume," the Genius Senshi said   
uncertainly. "Unless, of course, it isn't dangerous, as Chibi-Usa-chan   
says. But if it isn't dangerous--"  
  
"Why was it knocking everything over?" Mamo-chan finished, his   
eyes not on Ami as he spoke, but Chibi-Usa. As she was seated between   
him and I, she couldn't escape his penetrating gaze. "Chibi-Usa, what   
is that thing?"  
  
Again, she shook her head, looking away quickly. "Small Lady," he   
said in a commanding tone that left no room for argument. "If you don't   
tell us, we'll have to destroy it. If you don't want that, you'd better   
tell us what it is."  
  
Chibi-Usa's eyes once more filled with tears that zigzagged down   
her face in a steady stream. She opened her mouth, bit her lip and   
shook her head. "I can't tell you," she mumbled softly and began crying   
into her hands. I felt sorry for her, but at the same time angry that   
she felt like she couldn't tell us. Suddenly her head lifted again, and   
she began stuttering like she was trying to think of something that she   
could tell us. "He... he won't hurt nobody. But, if I tell, then..."  
  
"Yes?" Mamo-chan said, trying to urge her on. But her eyes were   
wide as if she feared she had said too much. She clamped her mouth   
shut and once more shook her head. My husband looked at me, but I felt   
even more helpless than he looked.  
  
My body felt heavy with fear as I stood, glancing back down at   
Chibi-Usa with pleading eyes. But she looked away. "There's only one   
thing we can do," I said. "And that is to go to the house and see what   
Ami can pick up with her computer."  
  
Mamo-chan nodded, standing also. "I'm going, too," Rei said,   
standing up out of her chair so quickly it was like it had a built in   
spring. I nodded, looking to Minako.  
  
"I'll stay with Luna and the kids," she mumbled, casting a   
wayward glance back to Keri who was asleep on her lap. Obviously the   
excitement hadn't been enough to keep her from going back to sleep. As   
I watched she snored softly and stuck her thumb in her mouth. I gave   
another longing look to my oldest, but she had buried her face in the   
blanket I had picked up in my rush out the door and was still crying.  
  
Mamo-chan put his arm around my shoulder, leading me down the   
hall and out of the Temple. We crowded into his car silently, none of   
us voicing our concerns about what was happening - or why.  
  
@------  
  
The front door to my house was unlocked, as in my haste to get   
out, I hadn't checked it. We entered one by one, Mamo-chan leading and   
Rei bringing up the end. The only noise was the constant clicking and   
occasional beeping from Ami's computer--otherwise the house seemed   
eerily silent. The kitchen was as I had left it, the radio on but   
turned down completely. Past the kitchen and down the hall a picture of   
Chibi-Usa, Keri and Shingo had fallen and shattered on the hardwood   
floor, otherwise nothing was amiss.  
  
It wasn't until we reached Chibi-Usa's room did we find anything   
out of the ordinary. If I had thought it was trashed the first time I   
had came in it, this was ten times worse. All of her furniture had been   
knocked over, the contents of drawers thrown about. The mattress on the   
bed was on the ground, the frame broken as if something heavy had been   
sitting on it. The dresser that had fallen across the doorway had been   
moved so that it was laying in the middle of the floor. My astonished   
eyes barely caught a glimpse of all of this, however, as I reverted my   
attention on the busted window.  
  
"Damn," Mamo-chan mumbled next to me, his eyes sweeping over the   
scene again.   
  
Ami pushed past us, surveying the damage. "There's nothing here   
now, spiritual or otherwise," she informed us, her eyes only barely   
registering shock at the mess. She peered out the window to the ground   
below. "It must have burst out through this window, the glass is on the   
outside. There's also a bit of something..." she noted, picking up a   
piece of broken glass and examining it. Indeed there was a thick silver   
liquid on the glass's edge, as well as on the window seal. "How   
peculiar."  
  
"Do you know what it is?" Rei asked, finally breaking her   
attention away from destroyed room and to us.  
  
Ami shook her head, picking up another piece that also contained   
the liquid. "I have an idea, of course. But I can't be sure until I've   
ran some further test. But surely...." She shook her head as if   
dismissing a thought. "Well, that just can't be."  
  
After a full examination of the house, we still turned up   
nothing. "Well, we aren't staying here tonight," Mamo-chan said in a   
commanding voice.  
  
I hadn't even thought past cleaning up the mess in Chibi-Usa's   
room and was a bit taken back by what he said. I blinked, frowning.   
"Mamo-chan, Ami said it's gone now. I think it would be okay for us to   
stay, even if we ask Minako to watch the kids..." But my words trailed   
off as Mamo-chan shook his head sternly.  
  
"No, we are not. If whatever that is decides to come back.. Well,   
we're just not taking the chance. We'll get a hotel room until--"  
  
"Until when? Until Chibi-Usa decides to talk to us? Because I   
don't think that's going to happen," I insisted. It seemed stupid to   
leave our home, when I had an irking feeling that if whatever that was   
wanted to find us, it wouldn't have a hard time.  
  
My husband, however, was not close to seeing reasoning beyond his   
own. "Usako, we are not staying here. Until I feel like it's safe for   
you and the kids--"  
  
"Incase you've forgotten I've tackled bigger--" I retorted.  
  
"I'm not saying you haven't, but we have to think about the   
children," Mamo-chan replied, his voice rising slightly, just as mine   
had.  
  
Realizing that arguing would get us nowhere, I sullenly sat back,   
my arms crossed. My nerves were on edge, and his were too. We   
pointlessly argued about once or twice a month, but now didn't seem to   
be a good time to start one. Rei and Ami both looked relived when I   
stopped and mumbled a low: "Okay, fine," and got up to start packing.  
  
As I placed mine and Mamo-chan's clothes into a suitcase, he came   
in the room, a small grin forming on his lips that he tried   
unsuccessfully to hide. I turned to him expectantly as he crossed the   
room in four strides and kissed my nose. "Do you have any idea how   
incredibly cute you are when you're mad?"  
  
"Hmph," I mumbled, trying not to smile as he was. I'm supposing   
it wasn't too hard to figure out that making up was about the only   
reason we ever argued to begin with. Perhaps it wasn't so pointless,   
after all...  
  
"Well, you are." Mamo-chan grinned broadly, wrapping his arms   
around me. There was no use in trying to fight him off, I knew. When he   
got that look in his eye (which I secretly loved) it was give in, or   
fight and then give in. Since we were running short on time today, I   
decided to beat him to the punch line. Quickly I stood up on my toes,   
pressing my lips to his.  
  
When finally we pulled apart, I rolled my eyes at him playfully.   
"Now, if you don't mind, I have to pack. Since you," I said forcefully,  
"have decided we aren't staying here."  
  
"I'll just go see to Chibi-Usa's things," he replied, still   
grinning at me. I shook my head as he left the room and wondered if ten   
years down the road we still acted this way towards each other.   
  
I hoped so.  
  
@------  
  
We never got as far as the motel that evening. Ami insisted we   
stay at her place, in the spare room, and save the money. I had argued   
that Keri would wake her up, since she tended to wake up during the   
night when we were away from home, but still the Genius Senshi   
insisted. In the end I gave in and we crowded the four of us into her   
spare bedroom.  
  
After fighting tooth and nail with Keri, I finally managed to get   
her to sleep. I laid her in the same travel crib I had used with Chibi-  
Usa and covered her up gently. On a pallet in the floor beside her,   
Chibi-Usa was already asleep - exhausted by crying the better part of   
the day. Her steady silence un-nerved me, but no matter what any of us   
said - she refused to speak.   
  
I had changed into pajamas and got in bed beside my husband. But   
sleep stayed beyond me; disturbed by the sounds of the street below and   
the lights from the city. I hadn't slept in an apartment for two years,   
and now I wondered how I had slept with all the racket that seemed to   
be coming from the world beyond. I tossed and turned, but only managed   
to wake up Mamo-chan.  
  
It was no use, I wasn't going to sleep any time soon. My eyes   
were wide open, staring at the ceiling and the lights that toyed with   
the shadows on the wall. Getting up, I quietly left the room, intending   
to get some warm milk from the kitchen. When I got into the hallway,   
however, I found that there was already a light on in the kitchen.  
  
I peeked my head around the corner. Ami was sitting at the table,   
scanning a book with her index finger while idly turning her straw in   
her drink with the other. "Ami-chan?"  
  
"Usagi-chan!" said Ami, startled. She shook her head and rubbed   
one hand over her face. "What time is it? Did I wake you with the   
lights?"  
  
"No, no," I assured her, getting a cup from the cupboard and   
pouring a glass of milk. "I was awake already." I sat down at the   
table, peering over at the book. "What are you looking for?"  
  
To my surprise, she held up a small jar containing a piece of   
glass with silver liquid on it. "Remember when I told you I thought I   
knew what this was, but wasn't sure?"  
  
"Hmm," I mumbled through a mouth of milk. It hadn't dawned on me   
that she would be sitting up at two a.m. looking for something about   
what broke into my house. I felt guilty about it for some reason. "Did   
you find out what it is?"  
  
Ami nodded, but instead of saying more, she flipped through the   
pages and began scanning again. She reached for her glass, took a sip,   
and set it down triumphantly. "I couldn't put my finger on it, but I   
knew I had seen it somewhere before. And then tonight, I was examining   
it, and it all fit--"  
  
"All of what?" I asked, so completely lost that if she had said   
the sky was falling it would have taken a moment for me to understand   
her.  
  
Again she didn't answer, only scanned through pages, looking for   
something. If ever I thought that science could excite no one, Ami was   
once again proving me wrong. Her face lit up when she found whatever it   
was she was looking for and began to read aloud:  
  
"Mostly known to be myth, the legend of the unicorn may have some   
truth hidden deep in Earth's past. Thousands of years ago the Romans   
wrote of a creature whose body poised as a steeds, though differed only   
in the form of a long golden horn that rose from it's forehead.   
Believed to be connected to the Gods..." She skimmed further down,   
looking again for something particular. Unicorns? I thought. What in   
the world did this have to do with unicorns?  
  
"Ancient ruins... Greek Gods... Golden Kingdom. Ah ha!" she   
cried, sitting closer to the edge of her seat as she beckoned me to   
listen again. "Said to be the protector of all life on Earth, the   
Priest Helios could transform himself at will into the creature   
Pegasus; a unicorn who could fly. Of course, this is all myth - as well   
as the kingdom of the Moon, which we both know was very real," Ami said   
pointedly, glancing up at me. "Now, unicorns supposedly have silver   
blood. That blood is quite thick, and has mystic healing properties.   
And this, as far as I can tell, is what unicorn blood would be,   
supposing--"  
  
"That they did exist," I whispered, intrigued, although still   
suspicious. "But a unicorn in this day and age? I'm not one to say it   
isn't possible, but why would a unicorn be in Chibi-Usa's bedroom --   
and why couldn't we see it?"  
  
Ami shrugged, snapping her Mercury computer shut with a small   
click and laying it aside. "Mamoru-san is the Prince of Earth, ne?   
Could he perhaps know something about this Helios?"  
  
"I don't know," I whispered, deflating Ami's balloon. Her face   
fell into a frown and she tapped her fingers on the table. "Mamo-chan   
hasn't said anything about it, and as far as I know he had no powers as   
the Prince of Earth - just, birth right, I suppose. Not like me, I got   
a package deal. Be Princess of the Moon - fight enemies for the rest of   
your life." I raised an eye brow. "Somehow I think I got the bad end of   
this deal."   
  
"Be assured," Ami said seriously, though her eyes were dancing   
with laughter. "You aren't in that boat alone."  
  
@------  
  
After three days and no trace of anything in our house, and Mamo-  
chan finally decided we could return home. And I could have been happy   
about this, except for one thing: when we returned home Mamo-chan   
promptly moved Keri's crib in our room and made a pallet in the floor   
for Chibi-Usa.  
  
I watched him with a look of shock on my face as he padded her   
pillow and looked up at me with a gleam in his eye that was on the   
border of insanity. "At night," he said, looking around at the small   
nursery he had concocted in the side of the bedroom. "We lock this   
door, and the kids are in here, safe with us."   
  
I only nodded and went down the hall to Chibi-Usa's room. The man   
had been out the day before to fix the window, and after several hours   
of cleaning, Minako and I finally got Chibi-Usa's room looking normal   
again. I peeked inside to where Chibi-Usa was sitting on her bed,   
staring at the floor listlessly. "Chibi-Usa?" I mumbled, knocking   
lightly. "Can I come in?"  
  
"Sure," she replied in such a low voice that I barely heard her.  
  
I walked in, sitting beside her on the bed and staring out the   
window. We said nothing for a few minutes, just stared. Suddenly Chibi-  
Usa turned to me, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Mama, what's   
going to happen now?"  
  
"What do you mean?" I replied, trying my best to keep my voice   
casual.  
  
"I dunno," she whispered, looking back again at the window.  
  
I watched her for a few minutes, trying to think of the last time   
I had taken her out anywhere by ourselves. It seemed ages ago Keri had   
been born and began taking up all my time. I frowned, glancing over at   
her sitting beside me. Could it be my fault that Chibi-Usa doesn't feel   
like she can talk to me? The thought didn't sit well with me at all.   
"Chibi-Usa, how about we go get some ice cream? Perhaps even get in a   
little shopping while we're out. Does that sound okay?"  
  
Her blue eyes swung up to me, mild surprise on her face. Her lips   
turned upwards slightly but just as quickly vanished as my fears came   
to light. "Keri don't like to shop," she mumbled, looking so   
disappointed I could have cried. It's true the last time I had taken   
Chibi-Usa shopping for new clothes Keri kicked and screamed the entire   
time we were in the store until finally I left. But I had never paid   
attention to how little Chibi-Usa asked to go anywhere since then.  
  
"Who says we have to take Keri?" I said suddenly, smiling at my   
eldest daughter mischievously. "Papa can take care of her and we'll go   
shopping and out to a eat, okay?"  
  
Chibi-Usa nodded, her face lighting up in a smile that I hadn't   
seen in days. Suddenly she wrapped her arms around my waist tightly and   
then headed off to put her shoes on. Feeling like a great weight had   
been taken off my shoulders, I left her room to change clothes.  
  
A few minutes later Chibi-Usa and I, coats on, were searching for   
my keys when Mamo-chan spotted us. With a raised eyebrow he looked from   
Chibi-Usa, who was giggling madly over the half eaten toast Keri had   
just hit me in the head with, then to me. "Just where do you think   
you're going?" he asked as I chucked the toast in the garbage with a   
stern look towards Keri who was sitting in her highchair.  
  
"Chibi-Usa and I are going shopping," I said pointedly, trying to   
get a signal across to Mamo-chan that he was to watch Keri. Thankfully   
he took the hint.  
  
"And you're just going to leave Keri and I to fend for ourselves,   
huh?" he asked Chibi-Usa, rather than me. Chibi-Usa nodded her head   
vigorously and Mamo-chan tickled her sides. "That's okay, we'll order   
pizza."  
  
"Okay," Chibi-Usa replied, undaunted. "Mama and I are going out   
to eat, too," she told him proudly.   
  
Chibi-Usa, after finding my keys in the floor, ran out to the   
garage to get in the car. Mamo-chan kissed my lips sweetly, hugging me   
to him. "Be careful, okay?"  
  
"I know, I know. I've got the cell phone incase anything happens.   
We'll be fine," I told him, kissing him again quickly to keep him from   
going into the normal rant of 'it's not my driving he's worried about,   
it's everyone else on the road'and 'I can't help it if I worry about   
you all the time' etc. I had heard the speech so often I could recite   
it word for word, even if he was incredibly sweet for saying it. Chibi-  
Usa hit the horn outside and I dashed out the door.  
  
"I love you!" Mamo-chan yelled after me as I got in the car.  
  
"I love you, too!" I replied and pulled out of the garage. Beside   
me Chibi-Usa was practically jumping up and down in her seat. "You   
ready to hit the road, munchkin?"  
  
"Ready!" she giggled and began flipping through the radio   
stations.  
  
The sun was still high in the clear blue sky as we made our way   
downtown. Chibi-Usa had turned the radio onto some rock station and   
then turned it up. "Ooooh!" she mumbled angrily at the radio. "Play the   
Three Light's song!"  
  
I raised any eyebrow at her, glancing over. "The Three Lights? A   
new group?"  
  
"Un!" she replied. "Brand new, only have two songs out. I think   
Yaten is so dreamy!" she said, pretending to swoon as she laid on my   
arm. "Momo-chan likes Seiya, he looks a lot like Papa, so I don't like   
him."   
  
"Don't you think your father is handsome?" I asked, surprised. I   
figured she had the same taste as me, and I knew my husband was   
handsome.  
  
"Mama! You are suppose to think Papa is handsome, not me!" she   
laughed. "You think he's so cute, don't you? Momo-chan thinks so. Her   
Papa doesn't live with her no more, her Mama and Papa got a... a..."  
  
"A divorce?" I asked, trying to sound casual about it. I had   
heard that Chibi-Usa's friend parents were divorced, but I hadn't heard   
Chibi-Usa say anything about it until now.  
  
She nodded, looking serious all of the sudden and I wondered what   
Momoko had thought about it. "She was very sad when her Papa left   
because he didn't love them no more. And now her Mama has a new   
boyfriend and he tries to tell Momo-chan what to do and she don't like   
it." Her eyes strayed up to me, anxiously. "You and Papa are not going   
to get a divorce, are you? I don't want Papa to leave."  
  
"No, Chibi-Usa," I answered quickly. "I love your Papa very much   
and we aren't going to get a divorce."   
  
Chibi-Usa nodded, a smile on her lips once more. "Yeah, I know.   
He says he loves you and me and Keri and Shingo all the time, so he   
won't leave. I know he won't." And off she went about the Three Lights   
again, chattering all the way to the mall and inside.  
  
We spent the better part of the afternoon and well into the   
evening shopping at the mall. And only until we both confessed to be   
hungry did we go over to the Fruit Parlor for dinner. Even though   
Chibi-Usa talked nearly non-stop, not once did she mention the incident   
in her bedroom or what secret it was she held. Though I wanted to talk   
to her about it, I didn't mention it - only let her chatter on in a   
sing song voice about her friends at school and the latest singing   
group to hit the air.  
  
It was nearly closing time at the Fruit Parlor as I sat chatting   
with Naru while Chibi-Usa and Naruru, Naru's little sister, played   
arcade games. Motoki was closing up, but didn't say a word to us while   
we sat in a booth. It had been so long since I had been out somewhere   
that I didn't have to chase Keri about, and worry about what she was   
into, that the time seemed to have escaped me. Suddenly my cell phone   
rang, making me nearly jump out of my seat.  
  
"That's probably your husband," Naru said knowingly, looking at   
her watch. "Good grief we've been sitting here two hours! I've got to   
get Naruru home before Mom freaks," Naru said, picking up her purse and   
glancing at the ticket.  
  
I had no more got the phone to my ear than I heard Mamo-chan.   
"Where are you at?" he asked before I could even say hi.  
  
"Sorry," I squeaked, making a face at Naru who laughed. "I'm at   
the Arcade. We'll be home in a few minutes."  
  
"Okay," Mamo-chan breathed, sounding slightly calmer than he had   
when I had picked the phone up. "Be careful. I love you."  
  
"I will. Love you, too." As I hung the phone up, Chibi-Usa and   
Naruru came over, each holding a UFO catcher doll each. Even thought   
Chibi-Usa smiled at Naru as we left, I could instantly tell something   
was wrong. Silently she got in the passenger seat and buckled in,   
looking out the window. "Anything bothering you, Chibi-Usa?" I asked   
casually.  
  
She turned her head, but what she was going to say, I don't know.   
Her eyes widened in fear as she screamed: "Mom, look out!"  
  
I looked out the windshield just as a brilliant light lit up the   
street, blinding me. I slammed my foot on the brakes, but the petal was   
gone! I tried to reach for the emergency brake, but every time I opened   
my eyes I was blinded again. "Chibi-Usa!" I screamed, throwing myself   
over the passenger seat...  
  
"Usako.... promise me you'll be careful. I know you're a good   
driver but other people on the road don't pay that close attention..."  
  
"Oh Mamo-chan! You know I prefer to walk anyways. How often will   
I be driving?"  
  
"I know, but it only takes being in the wrong place at the wrong   
time..."  
  
Echoing through my mind, I heard Mamo-chan begging me to be   
careful. He was always so worried... too worried, I thought... I was   
only two blocks from home...  
  
There was a jolt, breaking glass... and just as quickly as I had   
been blinded by the bright light, everything went black.  
  
--End Chapter 2.  
* Daijobu ka translates to "Are you okay?"  
** Ryuu is the only male kitten of Luna and Artemis' - his name   
translates to "dragon" and he is named after one of the Japanese   
constellations.  
*** Otome translates to "maiden" and she is also named after a Japanese   
constellation. For more information on where I got these names and what   
they mean, you can visit here: http://www2.gol.com/users/stever/constell.htm  
  
Yay! This is the edited version, btw! Thanks for all the offers to edit   
for me, I appreciate it! Thankfully Meara is back and I'm back in   
business! :) *huggles her wonderful editor*  
  
And now, I want to say a piece of my mind real quick before I stop   
boring you. ***I HATE PLAGUERISM*** And, I doubt I spelled that right,   
but it means the same. Someone from Fanfiction.net copy and pasted the   
"Don't Let Me Go" series I co-wrote with Patch, deleted our author's   
notes and posted it as her own. **DON'T DO THIS** Newsflash; for those   
of you misinformed, I do find these things out. A very nice lady   
emailed me the same day it was posted, asking if I gave permission for   
it to be re-released under a different name. I did not, I do not, nor   
will I ever give someone permission to take a story I worked very hard   
on and take credit for it. And if you are under the impression I won't   
find out about it, this should be proof I will. And further more, you   
don't want to know how angry I got and how quickly I got there. I hate   
being mad, I hate fighting --but I hate thieves more.  
  
*breathes*  
  
Okay, I feel better having got that off my chest. Most of you know that   
I'm an easy going person who hates fighting and will do nearly anything   
I can to help someone out. I don't like being mad and angry, so it's   
just best to not copy my story, so that I can keep my blood pressure   
down ^_^;   
  
And if you are still here, thank you for reading my chapter. However,   
I'm not a good mind reader, so let me know what you thought by posting   
a review (**hint hint**) or emailing me :)   
  
Huge thanks!!  
3 Bethany 


	4. ChibiUsa's Secret

@------  
Forever More  
Chapter 3 - Chibi-Usa's Secret  
By: Bethany  
Editor: Meara  
Rated: PG  
@------  
  
There was a haze of light, like staring at a television though   
thick fog. My head hurt worse than I thought anything could ever hurt;   
the pounding was so hard that my vision seemed to blur every time it   
throbbed. I could feel something wet on my face, splattering me   
occasionally. I tried to move, but I felt so detached, my body wasn't   
responding to the commands I gave.   
  
"Chibi-Usa?" I moaned, hearing my voice echo in my head. Had I   
spoken? Was that my voice? I couldn't tell; nothing seemed right. All I   
could remember was Chibi-Usa, screaming, the terror in her voice   
piercing me to my very soul.  
  
Pushing myself further than I thought was possible at the moment,   
I tried again to focus my vision and turn my head. This time I could   
make out street lights above, shining down, and a low grumbling that   
seemed to be getting louder. I lifted my head, causing it to pound   
more, and struggled against the darkness that threatened to consume me   
in an attempt to see where I was; and where my daughter was. Slowly it   
came back to me, Chibi-Usa screaming, the blinding light. But anything   
after that was gone, nothing but the sound of Chibi-Usa's voice and a   
feeling of fear left behind in the pit of my stomach.   
  
Focusing all of my strength, I summoned the Silver Crystal to me.   
Unable to speak - I willed it to restore me, if only long enough to get   
Chibi-Usa to safety. It seemed to take forever, though it may have been   
just a few minutes, but finally I could feel the power of my heritage   
flowing through my body and restoring my strength. Careful not to use   
too much energy, I pulled myself away from the sweet luring of the   
light and back to the pain of reality.   
  
"Chibi-Usa?" I whispered. Vaguely I could hear sirens in the distance,   
but I wasn't worried about them. My main focus was finding my daughter.  
  
I must have hit the tree head on, because surprisingly I couldn't   
see another car anywhere. The passenger side door was open and the seat   
empty. I unlatched my seatbelt and tried to get out, but the dash had   
caved in over my legs and into my lap. "Chibi-Usa!" I screamed,   
planting both hands on the dash and trying to pull myself from under   
it. I could feel a choke of tears rise in my throat, making me want to   
scream.  
  
There was a blinding blur of oncoming headlights from the street,   
but we had steered off the road and down into a large dip. They   
couldn't see us from the road--nobody knew we were down here.   
Desperately I tried to pull myself out of the car, mentally willing   
whoever was on the road above to hear my plea. As if answering my   
silent prayer, I heard a voice in the distance, growing steadily   
louder.  
  
"USAKO!!" I heard screamed and my heart jumped. It was Mamo-chan,   
he could get Chibi-Usa. We'd be ok!   
  
"USAKO, ANSWER ME!" I could hear his feet crunching the dry   
leaves on the ground as he came down the hill towards the car.  
  
"Usagi!" more voices joined in; Rei and Makoto.  
  
"Mamo-chan!" I called back, again trying to pull myself out from   
under the dash.  
  
Suddenly my husband was on the driver's side of the car, trying   
to open the door. I could see him straining with all his strength, but   
the door was so banged up it wasn't coming open. Then Makoto was behind   
him, and Haruka. Together they pulled on the door, wrenching it off the   
side of the car and throwing it to the side. Mamo-chan was at my side   
instantly, cupping my face between his hands. "Usako," he breathed, as   
if just being able to touch me relived him. "My God, are you ok?"   
  
"Chibi-Usa..?" I whispered, tears falling down my face as the   
impact of what had happened sank into my mind. He pushed my bangs to   
the side, searching for something. "Chibi-Usa?" I asked again, more   
forcefully.  
  
"Chibi-Usa's fine, sweetie. But you're bleeding... where is all   
this blood coming from?" he mumbled, not to me, but to his self.  
  
"My legs," I told him, trying unsuccessfully to move them again.   
"I can't get them out..."  
  
My husband took a sweeping look at the dash, at my legs trapped   
under it, and cursed lightly under his breath. I could barely see Rei   
and Haruka just on the other side of him, moving back and forth and   
looking nervously inside the car. Mamo-chan placed his hand behind the   
seat, causing it to lay back with me in it. "If I could just get this   
moved a little," he said to himself, glaring at the dash as if he could   
will it to move with his eyes.  
  
Suddenly Makoto was in the passenger seat, pushing on the dash   
with all her might. I glanced over, surprised, as she gritted her teeth   
and pushed. I could see the veins in her arms rising and her face   
turning red with the effort. Haruka stuck her arms in next to Mamo-  
chan, pulling on the dash at the same time. I heard it groan and then   
slowly the pressure lifted off my legs.   
  
"NOW!" Haruka spat through gritted teeth, her feet slipping in   
the grass as she dug her heels in the ground.   
  
Mamo-chan put one arm behind my back and one under my legs and   
pulled me out sideways, nearly falling back onto the ground himself.   
Haruka slid down onto the ground, bringing a shaking hand up to wipe   
the sweat off her forehead. I could see Makoto, lying back in the   
passenger seat, a shaky smile on her lips.   
  
Rei was knelt down beside me, worriedly looking at my forehead.   
"How did you all ...?" I mumbled. Coming down the hill as fast as they   
could without tumbling down headfirst were Ami, Michiru and Setsuna--  
followed closely by two men in uniforms carrying a portable stretcher   
between them.  
  
I couldn't get a word in edgewise as I was securely strapped to   
the stretcher and carried back up the hill to the waiting ambulance.   
Mamo-chan climbed in the back with the paramedic and we took off the   
hospital. Every time I tried to speak, Mamo-chan would whisper   
everything was going to be ok, and place his finger over my lips. Was I   
worse than I thought? Why wouldn't he let me speak?  
  
In less than five minutes time we pulled in front of the hospital   
and I was wheeled inside, Mamo-chan running alongside the stretcher the   
entire time. The abruptness of the bright light and the tiles speeding   
by on the ceiling made my head pound and my vision blur. I groaned,   
closing my eyes to block out the sight.  
  
I must have fainted, though I didn't realize it at the time. When   
I next opened my eyes, I was laying in a hospital bed in a semi-dark   
room. The room was silent save for my breathing. I tilted my head to   
the side towards the door where I could see a light from under the door   
and hear voices. "Mamo... chan..." I whispered, my mouth dry and my   
lips so chapped they burned when I moved my mouth. "Minna...?"  
  
"Usako?" a deep voice mumbled from my other side. "Hey baby," my   
soul mate whispered, reaching over from where he was sitting in a chair   
next to my bed to grab my hand and squeeze it in his own. "How do you   
feel?"  
  
"Thirsty," I mumbled, smiling slightly. Mamo-chan brought a cup   
of ice water with a straw to my lips like he would one of our children   
and allowed me to drink. Thankfully I ran my tongue over my parched   
lips so that they moved more easily. "Thanks."   
  
After putting the cup down, Mamo-chan reached out, running his   
fingers down the side of my face. "Your head still hurt?" he whispered   
softly, his eyes full of emotions that caused them to glass over and   
shine in the light spilling from under the door.  
  
Confused, I burrowed my eyebrows together. "Um, no," I replied. I   
couldn't recall ever saying my head was hurting, although it had been.   
In fact, there was so much I couldn't recall--but one thing stood out   
among them all: "Mamo-chan, where's Chibi-Usa? Is she all right?"  
  
"She's fine, baby," he whispered in my ear, brushing my bangs   
away from my forehead. "Just rest, ok? The kids are fine."   
  
I tried to move towards him, but something was holding me down. I   
pushed against the bed sheets, yearning to reach out to touch my   
husband's face, but couldn't. Panic crept into my eyes as I writhed and   
struggled. Mamoru stood up, gently but firmly holding me to the bed.   
"Don't, ok? Just rest. I'm right here," he whispered, sitting back down   
and reaching out to entwine his fingers with my own.  
  
I felt tears fill my eyes and I turned from him to look at the   
door. My mind was racing, trying to remember anything that happened   
from the time I had seen the white light to when I woke up--and from   
when we entered the hospital to now. But try as I might, I couldn't   
remember. That time was gone and nothing but blankness greeted me when   
I tried to recover something. I bit my lip, trying to move my legs up;   
to turn over--but I couldn't move. I turned my head again towards my   
soul mate, tears falling down my face. "Mamo-chan, why can't I move?"  
  
I saw Mamo-chan bite his lip, as he struggled with words. His   
mouth moved like a fish out of water, but no words came out. He sighed,   
reaching over to kiss my forehead gently. "Just rest, please. I promise   
I'll be right here beside you."  
  
He looked away and again I tried to move my legs. "What is it   
you're not telling me, Mamo-chan?" I whispered through my tears. "Why   
can't I get up? What's going on?!"  
  
I could see my husband struggling with himself, his face still   
turned so that all I could see was half his face and his dark hair.   
Moments ticked by and still he didn't look at me. Again I tried to get   
up, pressing my legs against whatever was holding me down. "Please,   
Mamo-chan," I cried. "I can't move..."  
  
Suddenly Mamo-chan jumped up, fumbling around with something on   
the side of the bed. As he worked the pressure from my legs and chest   
suddenly released. Mamo-chan put the side railing on the bed down and   
swept me into his arms, nearly in tears when he spoke. "I'm sorry,   
Usako. I'm sorry..." he mumbled, his arms locked tightly around me as I   
felt his lips kiss my head over and over again.  
  
All the while I struggled to understand what was going on. But I   
couldn't remember... "Mamo-chan, what? What's happening? Please tell   
me," I moaned, my arms wrapping tightly around his neck. "Please..."  
  
My husband picked me up like a baby cradled in his arms and sat   
down in the chair beside the bed, my body still curled up in his lap.   
There was a slight twinge of pain that shot through my body, but I   
ignored it. The crystal had obviously been restoring me, even as I   
slept, because the rest of my body didn't hurt at all. My legs hanging   
over the side of the chair, I laid against Mamo-chan's chest, hearing   
his heartbeat thudding underneath his thin t-shirt. "Mamo-chan?" I   
whispered.   
  
"Shhh," he mumbled, his face still pressed in my hair. He   
swallowed hard, his heart beat seeming to speed up slightly. "You...   
you don't remember anything?"  
  
I shook my head, finally able to trap my tears in my eyes. Mamo-  
chan took a deep breath, his arms pulling me tighter against his body.   
"They brought you in and you started screaming..." his voice shook as   
he arms held me even tighter still, almost like he was afraid I'd   
disappear if he didn't hold me with all his strength. "You screamed and   
said your head hurt... your eyes... oh God..." he shuttered, trying to   
clear his throat to speak. "And your whole body was shaking, and   
convulsing and... and they tied you to the bed so you wouldn't hurt   
yourself..." And he stopped, tears falling on my head as his chest   
shook. "God Usako, I was so... so SCARED. I'd never felt so useless...   
I couldn't do anything... and you were screaming for me even though I   
was there... and I was so USELESS..."  
  
As he stopped talking, only crying, my body began to tremble.   
What had happened to me? Why couldn't I remember it? "Mamo-chan," I   
whispered, though my voice squeaked at the end. "What's wrong with me?   
I... I don't remember any of that. I'm... I'm scared, Mamo-chan."  
  
Mamo-chan dipped his head down, kissing my forehead, eyes and   
softly my lips. "It's ok, Usako. I'm here. Remember that. I'll NEVER   
leave you; never." His body was still shaking, his salty tears falling   
onto my face and sliding down my cheek. I leaned up, burring my face in   
his neck as he held me close to him, his lips at my ear whispering over   
and over again: "I love you, Usako. So much..."  
  
I don't know how long we sat there, holding each other tightly.   
It was as if the world was falling down around us and in a way it was.   
Our world was crumbling, the happy world that I had grown accustomed to   
in the last two years. It had started the night Chibi-Usa had woken up,   
her face locked in terror... and she hadn't known I was there... just   
like I hadn't realized Mamo-chan was. "Oh God," I whispered,   
realization dawning on me. "Mamo-chan... Chibi-Usa..."   
  
"What about her?" he mumbled, his face still pressed in my hair.   
  
"What you just said about a minute ago, it was just like Chibi-  
Usa, Mamo-chan. That night she was in the kitchen, and she didn't know   
I was there..."  
  
My husband's body suddenly felt rigid and tense under me, and he   
stood, placing me on the bed. I opened my mouth in question, but he   
kissed me on the lips, his fingers lingering on the side of my face.   
"I'll be right back," he said and the next thing I heard was the click   
of the door shutting behind him.  
  
I lay back, wondering where my clothes were. If I could find   
them, I thought, I'd go after him. The overwhelming feeling of just   
wanting to hold my girls next to me was making my body tremble and my   
heart pound. I just wanted to feel that everything was all right; that   
they were all right-- when I knew, deep down, it wasn't. Everything was   
so very wrong. Would this ever end?   
  
The door opened again and I jerked my head up curiously. "Mamo-  
chan?" I breathed, waiting to see his blue eyes and dark hair as he   
turned the corner.  
  
But it wasn't my husband that came in my room, it was Minako and   
she was holding a bag in her left arm. Like a spy hiding from the inky   
minions of evil, she stole into the room quietly, shutting the door   
behind her. She walked quickly over to the bed and deposited the bag at   
my feet. "Come on, Usagi-chan, we're getting you out of here," she   
whispered, taking out a pair of jeans, t-shirt, and shoes.  
  
I nodded, not questioning how I was going to walk out of a   
hospital without being released. I assumed Mamo-chan was taking care of   
that. I stood up, another slight pain coursing through my body as   
Minako untied the hospital gown at my back and I slid on the jeans and   
shirt. I was just tying my sneakers when Mamo-chan came back in the   
room. "You ready?" he asked, looking anxiously to the door.   
  
"Why are we leaving?" I mumbled. I trusted Mamo-chan with my   
life, but still I was puzzled when clearly this was a quick descision,   
not thought out completely. And that wasn't Mamo-chan's way.  
  
Mamo-chan pulled the bandage from my head, revealing the smooth   
skin beneath that he slowly slid his finger across. "Usako, as helpful   
as the Ginzuishou is to your health, I'm afraid that it would be hard   
to explain it away." Mamo-chan pulled me close to him, kissing my   
forehead gently. "Have you got everything?"  
  
I nodded and we started out; Minako searched over the room again   
before following us to the hall. She caught up with us, her eyes   
betraying a slight worry and excitement. We walked out of the hospital   
without incident and got into Mamo-chan's car. I stared at the passing   
scenery with little interest as she flew down the practically empty   
streets of Tokyo. I caught sight of Minako in the rearview mirror and   
turned in my seat. "Minako-chan?"  
  
"Hmm?" she mumbled, focusing her eyes on me rather than the   
window. "Did you say something?"  
  
I smiled softly and she seemed to relax some. "You ok?" I asked.   
She nodded, but didn't look very convincing. I reached back, placing my   
hand on hers. "You can tell me, Minako-chan," I assured her.  
  
She let out a deep breath upwards that caused her bangs to blow   
up and away from her eyes. She shook her head, smiling slightly. "I   
can't believe we just did that."  
  
"Did what?" I mumbled, looking at her questionably.  
  
"You know," Minako continued, again shaking her head as if to   
convince herself it was ok. "We're Senshi, so we do things different   
than everyone else, right? Bend the rules once in a while. But we've   
never... well, out right broke a law in the process."  
  
I blinked, still confused. Out of the corner of my eye I saw   
Mamo-chan smile. "Minako, we didn't break a law getting Usako out of   
the hospital. I'm a doctor there, I signed the release papers."  
  
"But you weren't suppose to," Minako pointed out.  
  
My husband shrugged as we slowed down and pulled into Minako's   
driveway. "It's ok, though. I'll smooth it over," he assured her,   
putting the car in park and opening his door. His eyes seemed to catch   
something and he sat back down in his seat, looking worried. "Eh,   
Minako, whose car is that?"  
  
The blonde in the backseat blinked, leaning forward to squint out   
at the dark drive. Her eyes wondered from the car to the lights on in   
the house and she suddenly frowned. "Oh no, my parents..." she   
whispered, her hand unconsciously reaching up to her throat. "What are   
they doing home?"   
  
Mamo-chan got out of the car, pulling the seat up for Minako to   
get out as I got out on the other side. I had never meet Minako's   
parents. They traveled from country to country on a seemingly endless   
holiday. From what I had gathered from small bits Minako had said, they   
hadn't been home for more than three weeks since she was sixteen. They   
paid the bills and sent money and gifts to buy their conscience away   
and Artemis had practically been Minako's parent from then on.  
  
Minako stood next to the car, her hand gripped tightly on the   
door handle and she looked like she was debating going in. I came   
around the car, putting my hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Come on,   
MinaP*, it can't be that bad. We'll go in with you."  
  
"We'd better," Mamo-chan suddenly said, still studying the look   
of horror on Minako's face. "Our kids are in there."  
  
I let out a deep breath, putting my arm around Minako's shoulders   
and hugging her reassuringly. "Come on, we have to go in. No use in   
putting it off."  
  
She nodded, though didn't look much relived by my words. We went   
up the walkway and to the front door where Minako fumbled with her key   
for a moment, still casting longing looks back at the car. She finally   
got the key in the door and opened it. The foyer light was on, but   
silent as we stepped in. We took our shoes off and followed Minako into   
the empty living room. "I wonder where they--"  
  
Her words were sharply cut off. And I mean sharply. A slim blonde   
woman came through the double doors on the far end of the living room   
that lead to the opposite hall, her high pitched shrill voice enough to   
make me long to cover my ears. "Mina, darling! There you are! We've   
been looking for you!" she greeted. Minako groaned so quietly that I'm   
sure Mamo-chan and I were the only ones to hear it.  
  
Quite frankly, all I could do was stare at this wisp of a woman.   
She looked like a china doll on acid. That's how shrill and bubbling   
her voice was. Her face was made up so perfectly, her skin smooth and   
wrinkle free. Her slim body was adorned with a black floor length dress   
that made her peaches and cream skin seem to glow. Her blonde hair was   
swept up in a French twist with small pearl clips gently holding it   
back. Her blue eyes looked identical to Minako's, only Minako didn't   
wear make-up to exaggerate her eyelashes like this woman did. She   
grasped Minako's shoulders lightly, pecking each of her cheeks so   
lightly I'm not sure she even touched her skin at all. "Well, dear,   
come on!" she laughed. "Is this a way to greet your mother?"   
  
"Hello, mother," Minako bit out, her hands still at her sides. In   
all my years of knowing Minako, I had never heard her sound so hateful.   
She took a curious look behind the woman, almost as if she were afraid   
of what she might see. "Where's father?" she mumbled, trying to back   
away from her mother's ever tightening grip on her shoulders.  
  
The woman acted like Minako had bubbled over at the sight of her,   
taking no notice to how her daughter's jaw was clenched. She ignored   
Minako's question and cast a sideways glance at Mamo-chan and I,   
debating, it seemed, on whether to introduce herself or ask Minako to   
do it. Finally she smiled, though forcefully, at Minako. "Are you going   
to introduce me to your... friends?"  
  
Minako's still posture didn't relax a bit as she stared at her   
mother with loathing. "This is my best friend Chiba Usagi and her   
husband, Mamoru."  
  
Her mother blinked, obviously she knew nothing about us at all. I   
gave a weak smile as she grasped my hand for a split second then   
recoiled from it back like I had a disease. Her eyes lingered on Mamo-  
chan for a moment longer before a smile rose up on her lips. A smile I   
had seen on many girls when they stared at Mamo-chan; a look of   
appreciation and lust. I felt disgusted as she reached out to grasp   
Mamo-chan's hand, holding it far longer than she had mine or even   
Minako's. "Hello dears," she greeted, talking mainly to my husband who   
looked dumbfounded at her affectionate gaze. "My name is Mayumi. It's   
such a pleasure to meet you," she beamed.  
  
Anger boiled up in my throat as I watched her. Without hiding my   
feelings in the slightest, I moved closer to my husband and he put his   
arm around me. "Mamo-chan, let's go check on the kids, ne?" I said.  
  
She let go of Mamo-chan's hand almost instantly. "Kids, you   
say?" she mumbled, disappointment dripping from her voice.   
  
"Yes, they have two children," Minako barked out, walking past   
her mother to the doorway. "If you had been searching for me as well as   
you say, you would have seen them asleep in my bedroom." Minako stalked   
out into the hall, leaving Mamo-chan and I to silently follow her.   
Without a word, Minako stomped up the carpeted steps and down the hall   
to her room.  
  
Lying in the middle of the bed was Makoto. She peeked one brown   
eye open then jumped up, nearly crashing into me with a force not   
unlike that of a hurricane. "Usagi-chan, you're ok?! Thank God you're   
here!" she gasped, throwing her free arm around Minako. "Did you *see*   
that woman with the animal hung over her shoulders?" She gave a shiver,   
hugging herself. "I'll have nightmares for weeks! She opened the door,   
saw me, screamed and went out."   
  
Minako sat down in a chair adjacent to the bed, a smile finally   
breaking out on her lips. "That was my mother, Mako-chan. I imagine she   
was just as appalled by you as you was her," Minako explained, again   
giving a hateful glare towards the door.  
  
Makoto sat down on the bed again, her hands twisting in front of   
her. "Your mother? Wow, I've known you for seven years and I've never   
meet her," Makoto mumbled, not sounding disappointed, but surprised.   
  
Keri, hearing the racket around the room, sat up in the travel   
crib she had been sleeping in and blinked around curiously until her   
eyes fell on me. Suddenly she scrambled to her feet, her arms waving in   
the air. "Mama! Mama!" she yelled. At the same time on a pallet in the   
floor, Chibi-Usa also sat up, her eyes staring at me in disbelief.  
  
I scooped Keri up and sat down on the floor, holding her close.   
Chibi-Usa crawled over to me, burying her face in my chest as I wrapped   
an arm around her while she cried. I felt a familiar stinging of tears   
in my eyes as I heard her sobs, but I couldn't say anything to her. To   
either of my children. I could only hold them close to my pounding   
heart. The two most precious things in my life, safe and with me. If   
only this could last forever...  
  
Keri contently fell back asleep after fighting it for half an   
hour. Mamo-chan gently pulled her from my arms and kissed her small   
cheek before placing her back in the crib and covering her up. Chibi-  
Usa had stopped crying, but still sniffled every now and then. I pulled   
her into my lap, kissing her forehead as I rocked back and forth, a few   
silent tears falling from my eyes. There had been a time, not too many   
hours ago, that I feared I would never be able to hold my daughters   
again. My heart thudding painfully in my chest, I now hugged Chibi-Usa   
as close to me as I could get her.  
  
I hadn't noticed that Makoto and Minako had left the room, I paid   
little attention as Mamo-chan reached down, kissed Chibi-Usa's head and   
walked quietly out of the room. I just hugged my arms around Chibi-Usa   
and rocked back and forth, beginning to hum a tune I knew so well...   
Chibi-Usa's small, tear induced voice rose up to me as if from far   
away.   
  
"You are my sunshine.... my only sunshine...." she sang, her   
tears stopped and her huge blue eyes, so like Mamo-chan's, staring at   
me as her lips moved. "When you're not happy, my sky's are gray..."   
  
"You'll never know, dear, how much I love you," I whispered,   
staring into those eyes. This life I had carried inside of me for seven   
months... those beautiful eyes... "So please don't take my sunshine   
away..."  
  
I finished singing, still rocking Chibi-Usa back and forth   
slightly. Her hands reached up to wrap around my neck and I held her   
close to me, kissing her head while staring at long wavy strawberry   
colored hair. "Mama?" she whispered softly in my ear. Without a doubt   
it was the most beautiful word ever created. "I'm ready to tell you my   
secret."  
  
I nodded as she settled back down in my lap, her blue eyes   
staring up at me. I slid my hand over her forehead and down her cheek,   
cupping her face so that I could kiss her head. "It's ok, Chibi-Usa.   
Take your time."  
  
She played with the edge of my sleeve for a moment, staring   
intently at it, though I'm not sure she was seeing anything but what   
she was thinking about. "Mama, there's a... a boy. He's trapped and he   
can't move..." she ground a tear out of her eye with her fist, still   
not looking directly at me. "He... he needs me, he said. He becomes   
this beautiful horse, with wings and a golden horn sticking out of his   
head. That's how he comes to me. But he's not safe, because a bad woman   
is hurting his body... Mama," she sat further up, staring at me with   
her watery blue eyes. "Can you and Papa help him? Can you stop the bad   
lady from hurting him anymore? He... he needs help."  
  
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice calm as I spoke.   
"Chibi-Usa, is that what was in your bedroom?"  
  
She nodded, looking down. "I know you were mad at me," she   
whispered. "But he said if I told someone the evil lady would know   
where he was and she would hurt him... she would... kill him. And he's   
my friend, Mama! I don't want the lady to hurt him anymore!"  
  
I hugged her closer, trying to work through all she had said. So   
Ami had been right, that *had* been unicorn blood she found at my   
house. A flying unicorn. My mind reeled. My daughter had been keeping a   
flying unicorn in her room! "Chibi-Usa, why couldn't me or your Papa   
seem him? Or Minako?" I asked softly, gently urging her to tell me more   
details.  
  
Chibi-Usa shrugged. "I guess you don't believe." She again stared   
up at me, more wisdom trapped in her eyes than I thought possible for a   
four (nearly five, I amended) year old. "Mama, he saved me tonight. The   
bad lady gave you bad dreams, but he came and took me away before...   
before..." Flashes of the passenger side of the car, empty, came back   
to me. "I told him to help you, but he is weak... he hurt because he   
helped me. Mama, I'm scared for him. You will help him, won't you?"  
  
I nodded, rocking her back and forth again. "Hai, Chibi-Usa, I'll   
do what I can," I mumbled, my mind nearly in shock. An evil lady who   
sent nightmares? A flying unicorn who turns into a boy? ...who turns   
into a boy... Oh my God--Helios! What Ami said was true!   
  
Chibi-Usa had fallen asleep in my arms, which I was thankful for.   
In sleep she would be able to forget all that had happened for a few   
blissful hours. Carefully I placed her head back on the pillow and   
covered her up, getting to my feet shakily. Keri was still asleep, her   
small hands curled up beneath her chin. I reached down, kissing her   
warm forehead before going out the door and downstairs where I found   
Minako, Makoto and Mamo-chan sitting in the living room. I sat down   
next to Mamo-chan, burying my face in my hands.  
  
"Usako?" Mamo-chan said worriedly, his hand rubbing my back   
soothingly. "You ok?"  
  
I shook my head, longing to bury myself in his arms and forget   
everything. Instead I lifted my head up to greet three sets of worried   
eyes staring at me intently. "We... we need to call minna..." I   
mumbled.  
  
Makoto didn't even ask, she just fumbled in her pocket for her   
communicator. She looked up before pushing the button, looking not at   
me or Mamo-chan, but Minako. "Do you think we should do this at Usagi's   
place? I don't know what your parents would say about having six more   
people coming over in the middle of the night."  
  
Minako nodded, looking worriedly at the doorway like she expected   
her parents to come bursting through it any moment. "Yeah, that would   
be better. I don't really want to stay around here tonight anyways. Not   
with my mother on the loose somewhere."   
  
Makoto smiled reassuringly at Minako and pushed the button on her   
communicator. As she filled everyone in on what was happening, Mamo-  
chan and I went back upstairs to get the kids. Minako followed,   
gathering everything back into the small suitcase with the kid's things   
in it. "Probably for the best anyways," she said, putting some of her   
own belongings into a backpack. "I don't think Haruka and my mother   
would get along too well."   
  
I stifled a giggled, picking Keri up and putting her head on my   
shoulder and putting a blanket over her. Mamo-chan was carrying Chibi-  
Usa in much the same fashion in one arm, holding the packed up portable   
crib in the other. As we went down the hall, one of the double doors to   
her parent's suite opened up, revealing her mother in a long fancy   
nightgown, her hair still pulled up like she was going to throw a dress   
on and go dancing. "Mina, dear, where are you going?"  
  
"I'm staying at Usagi's for a while," Minako replied stiffly, not   
looking back as she started down the steps.  
  
Her mother smiled, again seemingly oblivious to the fact that   
Minako seemed to want to get as far away from her as possible. "Okay,   
dear," she said in a singsong voice. Keri looked up and her mother   
gasped, as if just realizing Mamo-chan and I were holding children.   
"Oh, what a sweet baby," she giggled, coming over to peer closer at   
Keri. Keri, most unlike her normal chipper self, recoiled back from the   
woman who had woke her. Mayumi poked at her side, trying, I assumed, to   
tickle her. She was rewarded with a loud, blood-curling scream from my   
youngest daughter.  
  
Mayumi, taken aback, moved quickly backwards, nearly tripping   
over her long nightgown. "Oh my," she mumbled. Mamo-chan, looking   
angry, took Keri from me and tried to calm her down as I picked up the   
crib. He kissed her forehead gently, whispering soothing words in her   
ear while she continued to scream. Of course, hearing a loud wailing   
like that was enough to wake the dead, and Chibi-Usa blinked back her   
sleep, looking up curiously to see who was trying to kill Keri.   
  
Mamo-chan put her down, and instantly my four year old stumbled   
over to me, hugging my leg and glaring at Mayumi for making Keri cry. I   
looked back up to see someone else emerge from Minako's parent's suite.   
I couldn't help the gasp that came from my mouth. The man standing in   
his pajama pants and robe was easily Mamo-chan's age, if not younger.   
Minako obviously had no idea either, because behind me I heard her   
stifle a gasp. She came back up the stairs, glaring at her mother.  
  
"Who the hell is that?!" she demanded, staring him up and down.   
  
Mayumi's face turned deathly pale, making her make-up seem loud   
and clownish. Her eyes were huge as they skipped guiltily from Minako   
to the man standing beside her. "This is... this is..." the older woman   
faltered, her hands moving around like they had minds of their own.   
"This is not good..." she muttered.  
  
The man beside her stepped forward, though I could see Mayumi's   
eyes practically begging him not to. He extended his hand to Minako,   
who glared at him, daring him to take another step closer. "I'm Hui   
Nakaga, you must be Minako. I've heard so much about you."  
  
"I can't say the same," Minako spat, her eyes locked on her   
nervous mother. "What is the meaning of this? Where is father?"  
  
Mayumi looked pathetic, so different from the poise woman I had   
seen downstairs just an hour before. She ran forward, grasping Minako's   
hands in hers. "Mina, darling, you must listen to mother. I was   
miserable with your father... and Nakaga has saved me from that..."   
  
I turned, feeling it wasn't our place to listen to this   
conversation. Mamo-chan took the hint and followed me downstairs where   
we meet up with Makoto. "Chibi-Usa, go with Mako-chan and your Papa,   
ok? I'm going to make sure Minako-chan is ok."   
  
My eldest nodded and Mako-chan lifted her up. "Mo**, Chibi-Usa-  
chan, you're getting so heavy," the taller woman mumbled as she carried   
her outside.  
  
Swallowing, I went into the living room and waited. I didn't   
have to wait long. Just a few minutes later I heard Mayumi screaming   
for Minako as the blonde ran down the stairs, tears shining in her blue   
eyes. Mayumi came to the top of the steps, Nakaga right behind her.   
"Mina! Please don't leave! Say you'll come back!"  
  
Minako turned, her fist clinched at her side. "NO! I won't be   
back! I don't care if I EVER see you again!"   
  
"Minako-chan?" I said softly from where I stood in the living   
room.   
  
She gasped, turning to me. "Usagi-chan?" she whispered, her eyes   
darting to the stairs again where her mother stood. She shook her head   
and went to the front door. I followed her, feeling so sad for her as   
she shut the front door and wiped the tears from her face determinedly.  
  
I climbed in the car with Mamo-chan quietly, Minako getting in   
Mako-chan's car. We started off for my house, arriving just as another   
vehicle pulled up behind us. I squinted through the brightness of the   
headlights. "That's Haruka's car," I told Mamo-chan.   
  
Chibi-Usa suddenly squealed from the back seat. "Hotaru-chan?"  
  
"Not tonight, young lady," I told her as we got out and I hoisted   
Keri up on my shoulder. "It's nearly 3a.m. you're going to bed." I went   
ahead and took the children in the house as Mamo-chan waited for   
everyone else. I had just gotten Keri down when Minako slipped in the   
nursery looking more nervous than I had ever seen her. "MinaP?"  
  
She gave me a halfhearted smile, going over to the crib and   
looking down at Keri. "Usagi-chan, I have a question..." she began,   
still looking nervous. "I... I don't want to go back to that house   
again. I just... just can't. I was wondering if I could--could stay   
with you and Mamoru-san for a couple of nights. And then, I dunno, I   
could stay over at Mako-chan's for a while, I guess... until I can get   
my own place."  
  
Biting my lip, I walked over and hugged her tightly. "Minako-  
chan, you know you can stay here as long as you like. Don't worry about   
a thing, ne? We're all here for you."  
  
Minako hugged me just as tightly as I did her. "Thank you, Usagi-  
chan. I promise I won't be a burden, really. I'll help with the kids   
and everything."   
  
We parted and Minako wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. I   
laughed softly, going to the door. "After a few days here, you might   
not be thanking me so much," I told her, thinking about Keri's   
destructiveness, not to mention every other weird thing that had been   
happening lately. Which reminded me of all Chibi-Usa had told me. "We'd   
better get in there. I guess Ami-chan and Rei-chan are here by now."   
Minako nodded and we went into the living room.  
  
Just as I had predicted, there were seven senshi waiting   
patiently in the living room when I walked in. "What took you?" Haruka   
said as soon as she seen me in the doorway. My bad; six patient senshi.  
  
"Just putting the kids back to bed, hopefully for the last time   
tonight," I said, sitting next to Mamo-chan, his arm automatically   
wrapping around my shoulder. Minako sat in the floor in front of the   
couch. "So, since I called you all here, let's begin, ne? I'm sure by   
now everyone knows the story of what happened with Chibi-Usa a couple   
of nights ago, right?" Everyone nodded their heads before I continued.   
"Ami found a weird substance in Chibi-Usa's bedroom, on the broken   
glass. She suspected it to be unicorn's blood."  
  
"Unicorn?" Makoto asked dumbfounded. She looked over at Ami.   
"There's no such thing, right? I mean, that's just a myth..."  
  
I gaped at Mako-chan, as well as half of the other people in the   
room. No one had ever, as far as I knew, questioned what Ami said. We   
all took it as if her word were law, it was just common knowledge that   
Ami--well, she just *wasn't* wrong.   
  
Ami smiled at Makoto like she were a child who had to be told   
fire would hurt her; she just didn't know any better. "The Moon Kingdom   
existed, did it not? The Silver Millennium, life on other planets,   
magic powers, reincarnation--we are all living proof of that. Yet if we   
were to go broadcast our story, people would say what you just did--   
that it was just a myth. Now, the sample of silvery liquid on the   
broken glass was unicorn blood, am I not right, Usagi-chan?" The blue   
haired senshi looked at me, and quite frankly, if I had disagreed with   
what she said, I wouldn't have admitted it then. She looked on the   
border of insanity.  
  
"H-Hai," I said quickly. "There is a story in Greek Mythology   
that speaks of a Golden Kingdom that exists beneath our world, a   
beautiful kingdom where a priest rules. Helios. At will, he can turn   
into a flying unicorn, a Pegasus."  
  
"Wait," Haruka said, not looking totally convinced this had   
anything to do with the new enemy. "Are you saying that this flying   
horse, this Helios, is what was in Chibi-Usa's bedroom?"  
  
I nodded my head, leaning back softly. Ginzuishou healing or not,   
I was still slightly sore. Rei's mouth opened and closed, but she said   
nothing. Haruka was staring at me with the most peculiar expression on   
her face; in fact, only four people seemed to believe me at that   
moment--Ami, Mamo-chan, Setsuna and Hotaru.   
  
Haruka leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and   
spreading her hands wide. "Okay, let's say for a second that there is a   
Golden Kingdom, and that this horse is real. Why Chibi-Usa? Why can't   
we see it?"  
  
"We don't have the pure eyes of a child," Setsuna suddenly said,   
having said nothing so far, I had almost forgotten she was leaning   
against the kitchen door frame.  
  
I nodded again, letting out a deep breath. "When I asked Chibi-  
Usa why I couldn't see Helios, she said I didn't believe. She also told   
me his body was trapped by an evil lady who hurt him. And that same   
lady had sent bad dreams to me."  
  
"I think that's why Usako wrecked the car tonight," Mamo-chan   
said beside me, his arm tightening it's grip on my shoulders. "So this   
is a formidable enemy, but thankfully she seems to be in the first   
stages of her attacks. We may still have a lead on her if we start   
looking now."   
  
How wrong it was.  
  
--End Chapter 3.  
*MinaP is a nickname Usagi had for Minako in the manga, she pretends to   
not like it, but I think she does ;)  
**Mo translates to "geez" in Japanese. Just a slang word or something.  
  
And here we are! Yay! Chapter 3! Now, it might be a while before the   
next chapter, I'm going to get the remaining chapters of "Beyond the   
Staff" out so that I can focus mainly on this story.  
  
HUGE thanks to everyone who emails me! And reviews! *huggles minna,   
grabs her editor in, along with random people from the street* Yes,   
it's a group hug!! ^_^ Heehee, life has been pretty good as of late,   
I'm just all happily. But ya gotta keep those reviews coming! *hint,   
hint*  
  
Disclaimer: Things Bethany owns: a 99' Sunfire, a doggie named Copper,   
a job that works me to the bone, a shed full of junky furniture that   
means a lot to me no matter what my grandma says I should do with it,   
and this story line. Take any of these, you'd better be ready for some   
serious problems and/or telling off at least ;) I don't, however, own   
Sailor Moon or any related characters that I have borrowed to write   
this story, please don't sue me, Christmas is coming up and I have to   
have gas money to do volunteer work ^_^  
  
Love, hugs, reviews and japanese food!  
3 Bethany  
11-13-02 


	5. To Close to Home Again

@------  
Forever More  
Chapter 4 -   
By: Bethany  
Editor: Meara  
Rated: PG  
@------  
  
  
We were sitting in the corner booth of the Fruit Parlor not   
really doing anything interesting. For a week we had been searching   
high and low for anything that might lead us to the enemy, but to no   
avail. There was no trace of this enemy, or the Pegasus, since the   
night I wrecked my car. Chibi-Usa had been down about it, and all of   
the Senshi were frustrated. It was no different today.  
  
I snatched my finger out of Keri's mouth before she could bit   
down on it and reached for the wet wipe box. Keri was content enough   
eating the pastries from my plate, except that she kept getting some   
lodged in the roof of her mouth and would start whining about it.   
Wiping my hands and then wiping her mouth, I tried to pay attention to   
the conversation at the table.  
  
"The eclipse is tomorrow," Ami was saying, idling stirring her   
straw around in her glass and looking outside. "Around noon, I heard on   
the news."  
  
Chibi-Usa was falling asleep next to me, her legs curled up as   
she lazily leaned against my side. She was fighting with all her might   
to keep her eyes open, but every now and then I would look down and   
catch her asleep. I nudged her gently to keep her from falling face   
first onto the table and she jerked up, looking around with wide eyes.   
"Papa!" she squealed. Suddenly all trace of sleep was gone as she seen   
a dark haired man come through the automatic doors of the Parlor. I   
looked up as well, since Mamo-chan was suppose to have joined us nearly   
half an hour ago after getting off work.  
  
Smiling sheepishly, my husband walked over to the table, bending   
down to kiss me lightly. "Sorry I'm late," he said to everyone at the   
table, waiting for me to get up so he could slide in the booth. "There   
was an accident just up the block here..." his voice trailed off, his   
eyes catching mine. I knew what he had done; stopped to make sure it   
wasn't me. Biting my bottom lip, I sat back down and pulled Keri's   
highchair closer again as Chibi-Usa climbed in her father's lap.  
  
"So... have there been any new developments?" Rei asked for the   
umpteenth time, as if someone's knowledge about the enemy had suddenly   
changed while we were sitting together. Nearly everyone groaned causing   
Rei to shake her head. "Ok, dumb question. But I'm out of conversation   
topics."  
  
"Me, too," Minako mumbled. "What did we talk about before evil   
witches and flying horses?"  
  
"Search me," Haruka replied, leaning back to stretch. On her left   
Hotaru was doing much the same thing as Ami, stirring her drink with   
her straw. To her right Michiru had her head propped her on her hand   
and looked as if she'd fall asleep any moment.  
  
"More!" Keri suddenly screamed loud enough that everyone's head   
snapped over to stare at her. Not noticing all the attention she had   
drawn (there were some people in the rest of the Parlor who had looked   
over as well) Keri threw her hands forward, reaching for the dessert   
plate. "Mama, Keri want more! More!"  
  
I shook my finger at her sternly, trying my best to look   
reprimanding. "You say please," I told her, pushing the plate away from   
her straining fingers. For all the good this did, however. Her blue   
eyes filled quickly with tears and before I could do more than throw my   
hands up to cover my ears, she began crying. It was like listening to a   
dying wild animal.  
  
"Give her the cakes," Mamo-chan told me, grimacing as if in   
mortal pain.  
  
"I'll say please for her," Mako-chan said, also looking as though   
her head would split open. I noticed there were a few people in the   
restaurant shaking their heads, and a couple near us called for their   
check.  
  
Groaning, I tried to ignore the wails of my youngest and stick to   
my guns. "Keri, you have to say please. You can't demand things and   
expect to get them." All this said, of course, while being drowned out   
by Keri's screaming and everyone else's moans of pain. Tears leaked   
down her small face, her cubby hands still reaching for the plate while   
she shook her head, sending blonde curls back and forth.  
  
Motoki came over, a forced smile on his lips. In his hand he held   
a tray of the pastries Keri had been eating and without knowing what   
all the fuss was about (he was in the backroom when it started) gave   
her one. "There you go sweetie," he cooed, smiling more broadly when   
she instantly stopped crying.  
  
I rolled my eyes, burying my face in my arms. "Thanks a lot   
Motoki-kun," I mumbled. Mamo-chan patted my head and I could almost see   
the grin on his face. "Shut up Mamo-chan," I grumbled at him before he   
could say a word.  
  
"I didn't say anything!" he claimed, his hands now raised in a   
peace offering when I looked back up. Motoki stood beside the table,   
looking utterly confused.  
  
I glared at him out of the corner of my eye. "You were thinking   
it loudly," I accused, catching Chibi-Usa's cup just as she nearly   
knocked it over. I sat it upright and turned my attention to Motoki. "I   
was trying to get Keri to say please for the cake instead of demand   
it," I told him, smiling slightly.   
  
"Oh," the blonde grinned slightly, ducking his head and watching   
Keri take small bites off the cake. "Sorry bout' that Usagi-chan. I   
figured you were out and that is why she was upset." He reached down,   
plucking Keri from her highchair and holding her up. "You just wanted   
some more cake, didn't you Keri-chan?" Keri grinned, looking from the   
cake in her hand to Motoki with a look I would have recognized on my   
daughter anywhere...  
  
*Splat*  
  
The crying, the screaming, the moans of pain; even having Motoki   
give Keri what she wanted without saying please was well worth seeing   
her shove that small icing covered pastry in Motoki's face and nearly   
up his nose. Everyone at the table burst into laughter. Keri was   
giggling madly, smashing her hand in the cake and then sticking her   
finger in her mouth. "Moto have cake!" she grinned, looking to Mamo-  
chan and I to see if she was in trouble. Luckily for her neither of us   
could stop laughing to scold her.  
  
Motoki stood with Keri in his arms, looking a bit on the border  
of shock. He brought one hand up, wiping the cake off his mouth and   
making a gagging noise. "Well," he mumbled, depositing Keri in my lap   
and glaring at everyone at the table since most of us were still in   
giggles. "I always said I liked Chibi-Usa better," he stated, walking   
off.  
  
Minako watched him go, shrugging nonchalantly and sighing. "He   
never did have a good sense of humor. One of the reasons I dumped   
him," she said matter of factly.  
  
"I thought you both decided it was best to go your separate   
ways?" Hotaru asked, her face contorted in confusion as she leaned   
forward to see Minako better.  
  
Said blonde blushed a bit, beginning to stir her milkshake again.   
"Well, that too..." she admitted. "Naw, I'm kidding. Motoki is ok and   
all, we just weren't meant to be, you know?"  
  
"No Miss 'I'm the reincarnation of Aphrodite', we don't know,"   
Rei retorted, rolling her eyes good naturedly. "Why don't you tell us?"  
  
Minako's mature way of handling this was to stick her tongue out   
at Rei, who, in turn, stuck hers out. "I was right about Usagi and   
Mamoru, wasn't I? And Luna and Artemis?"  
  
"That was a given, Mina, how many more talking cats are running   
around Tokyo?" Haruka snickered.  
  
"Five now that they decided to reproduce," Minako replied and   
without even gasping for breath went on despite the laughs. "Rei and   
Yuuichirou I'm right on, too."  
  
"What about you?" the Senshi of Time asked quietly, setting her   
glass down in front of her. "You're always getting others together,   
maybe it's time you thought about your own happiness?" she suggested   
lightly.  
  
Minako faltered, sadness lurking in the corners of her bright   
blue eyes before she caught it. "Naw! I can't concentrate on me while   
doing my job as the Re--"  
  
"Reincarnation of Aphrodite," nearly everyone at the table, save   
Setsuna, Mamo-chan and the kids, said with her. I laughed out loud, my   
chest lightening considerably. It seemed it had been way too long since   
we had talked amongst ourselves without it involving enemies. It was   
good to forget, just for one night, that we usually only all gathered   
to fight anymore.  
  
If only it hadn't been tonight. If only we had picked another   
evening to sit, laughing and joking until both my children were asleep   
in mine and Mamo-chan's laps. 'If onlys' and 'what ifs' never change   
anything, it's the past and done with. But still I can't help but   
wonder, what if we had searched for the enemy that night. Would it have   
changed anything?   
  
@--------  
  
Sunday morning came bright and sunny with not a cloud in the   
clear blue sky. It was warm, a little warmer than early fall usually   
was, but it was beautiful. It was a typical Sunday morning in my house;   
the girls were parked in front of the television while Mamo-chan and I   
tried to gather the small truck load it seemed to take just to take the   
kids somewhere.  
  
"Mamo-chan! Grab the sun block from the bathroom closet, ne?" I   
called from the kitchen as I made Chibi-Usa's peanut butter and jelly   
sandwich (strawberry jelly, she hates grape) and Keri's jelly sandwich   
(she hates peanut butter period), both with no crusts.  
  
Mamo-chan came into the kitchen, carrying the large duffle bag I   
packed things in when I took the kids anywhere for an extended amount   
of time. He heaved it up on the counter, cocking his eyebrow at me.   
"Sun block, Usako? It's not *that* warm outside..."  
  
"You never know," I told him, throwing small packs of chips into   
the basket. "And you know how badly Keri burns. It's just better to be   
safe."  
  
Mamo-chan nodded, knowing very well that if he still had an   
argument, there was no use in voicing it. He began shuffling through   
the bag, holding up two extra pairs of clothing for both girls, an   
extra pair of shoes each, band aides, antiseptic ointment, children's   
Tylenol, a blanket, bug spray, wet wipes, a couple of diapers and a   
garbage bag. Each time he picked up something new, he looked at me   
incredibly. "Usako," he finally breathed, having emptied the bag I had   
packed just this morning out on the counter. "Do we really need all of   
this just to take the girls to the park?"  
  
"Yes," I said, sighing. "And more will be added before we leave,   
I suspect. So make sure you pack it in as tight as I had it." I saw my   
husband's face fall as he began stuffing everything back in the bag,   
mumbling something under his breath about not needing more than a small   
diaper bag. I dug in the refrigerator for juice, glaring at him over my   
shoulder. "Do you remember the day you took them to the park, Mamo-  
chan?"  
  
Mamoru threw his hands up, backing away from the counter. "I   
know! You told me ten times how I should have taken the bag you packed.   
Keri had sunburned cheeks, Chibi-Usa fell and not only ruined the   
clothing she had on but I had to come home to clean up her scuffed up   
knee.... and if I had taken the bag, I wouldn't have had to leave   
fifteen minutes into the trip." I had to smile; defeat was clear on his   
face. "You're right. It just *seems* like a lot. Heaven forbid we ever   
go anywhere longer than a couple of hours. We'll have to rent a moving   
van."  
  
Sitting the juice bottles down on the counter, I walked over to   
my husband, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Only until Keri is   
fully potty trained, and then we'll only need a pull along trailer."   
  
Mamoru chuckled, kissing me on the lips as he smiled. "I wouldn't   
have it any other way," he whispered, wrapping his arms around me just   
as the phone rang. He sighed. "Then again, I could do without the   
phone..."  
  
I laughed, grabbing the cordless of the counter. "Moshi Moshi."  
  
"Hey Mom!" a familiar voice rang out of the line, his tone full   
of excitement.  
  
"Shingo! I haven't heard from you in over a week young man, why   
haven't you called?" I demanded playfully, grinning from ear to ear. I   
looked forward to his calls, each of them full of everything he was   
doing at school, the friends he had made and things he wanted to do.  
  
"Gomen, gomen," he chuckled. I could just picture his face   
flushed as he spoke. His voice seemed deeper, somehow, different than   
when I talked to him last. He sounded so happy every time I spoke with   
him that I just knew it was a good idea to have him at the school,   
especially with all that was going on around here. "I got busy with   
dueling club. You wouldn't believe the cool uniforms we get for the   
match. You and Dad are still coming, right?"  
  
I bit my bottom lip, trying to think. I knew he had told me when   
it was, but my mind had been so preoccupied, I couldn't remember. He   
noticed my silence. "Mom?"  
  
"You know we will," I said quickly, perhaps a little too quickly.   
"I forgot to write it down when I talked to you last, though. When is   
it again?"  
  
"September 13th," Shingo replied, suddenly sounding less excited   
than he had. "Is everything ok Mom? You sound... worried."  
  
Mamo-chan noticed the look on my face and leaned over the   
counter, a concerned look on his face. I shook my hand, trying to wave   
him back. "Everything is fine, Shingo," I lied. I had decided not to   
tell him about the car wreck, or anything going on. He was so happy and   
the last thing I wanted to do was worry him about another enemy. "We're   
taking the girls to the park today to see the eclipse and I've just   
been trying to get everything ready."  
  
"Oh," he mumbled. I could tell he didn't quite believe me. "Maaku   
and I are going to watch it, too. I'm going to have to get off here in   
a minute so we aren't late. Can I talk to Dad real quick?"  
  
"Sure," I replied, my heart sinking some. "I love you Shingo."  
  
"Love you too Mom," he said and I handed the phone off to Mamo-  
chan who took it, still eyeing me strangely. It felt so odd to only   
talk to him for a few minutes here and there, when I was used to his   
constant babble. I sighed, going down the hall to Keri's room to get   
her clothes out.  
  
A few minutes later I heard Mamo-chan call Chibi-Usa to the phone   
and he came down the hall to where I was shifting through the dresser.   
I didn't look up as he came in the room, standing just behind me. "You   
ok, Usako?"  
  
"Hai," I mumbled as I closed the drawer and reached for a diaper.   
Mamo-chan put his hand over mine, squeezing tightly. I turned around   
and buried my face in his chest, feeling his strong arms come up around   
me. "I miss him, Mamo-chan."  
  
"I know," my husband replied soothingly. "But he's happy and safe   
where he is. And," he said, tipping my chin up so he could press his   
forehead to mine. "You're going to have to get better at lying to him,   
he asked me what was wrong with you. You two are too close for him not   
to notice, even over the phone."  
  
I grinned. "I'll have to work on my deceiving skills, won't I?"  
  
Mamo-chan didn't answer, just bent down to press his lips to mine   
in what would be a very short lived kiss; which most of them were   
anymore. There was a crash that broke us apart, followed by Chibi-Usa   
yelling: "Mama! Keri has the ginzuishou again!"  
  
I sighed, shaking my head. There was another crash and the sound   
of small feet running. "We'd better go get that," Mamo-chan mumbled.   
"Before she tries to flush it again. I don't feel like unclogging the   
toilets at this time of the morning."  
  
"Onee-chan slow!" Keri giggling, flying down the hallway at top   
speed away from a close trailing Chibi-Usa.  
  
Suddenly Keri squealed as she was lifted up. Minako held her at   
arm's length, walking into the bedroom with her. "Yours?" she asked,   
nodding towards the locket in my daughter's tight grasp.  
  
I sighed, taking the Crystal and slapping Keri's hand. "No, no   
Keri. This is not for you, this is Mama's," I told her firmly, which   
immediately caused tears to well up in her eyes. Minako put her down   
and my youngest scurried across the bedroom floor and on the other side   
of the dresser, pouting. I sighed, walking out of the room.  
  
"I thought you put that up where she couldn't reach it?" Minako   
asked, shaking her head in amazement as we went back into the kitchen.  
  
"So did I," I told her. "But she happens to be kin to Mamo-chan   
and believes in the higher the better."  
  
"Hey, don't put that off on me!" Mamo-chan retorted, walking into   
the kitchen just in time to hear my last remark. "You were the one who   
said she couldn't reach it on top of our dresser."  
  
"And you are the one who makes speeches on street lamps -- I   
wonder where she gets her affinity for high places?"  
  
Mamo-chan said nothing, only grinned and proceeded to start   
repacking the duffle bag again. Minako giggled, flopping down on a   
stool next to me as I finished packing lunches. Just as I was starting   
to carry things to the car, Luna came out of the utility room, looking   
worn. "Luna, are you going with us to the park?" Minako asked, leaning   
her head on the counter and looking down at the black cat.  
  
"I don't think so, Minako-chan," Luna replied. "The kittens   
really aren't old enough for us to take them out yet. They don't   
understand not to talk loudly in public, and honestly I'm afraid of   
loosing them in the crowd."  
  
"Ah," Minako mumbled, nodding. "Understandable. Sure you don't   
want to leave Artemis with them and--" Suddenly Minako blinked,   
watching a black fur ball fly across the kitchen. Luna put her paw out   
just in time to catch the male kitten's tail, keeping him from going   
any further.  
  
"No, not this time," Luna said, picking Ryuu up by the scuff of   
the neck and going back towards the utility room. "Bbb baak m mmiute,"   
her muffled voice came back to us.  
  
"Poor Luna," Mamo-chan mumbled, watching her retreating back.   
Keri suddenly came running down the hall, apparently over her mad spell   
for the moment. "Could you imagine three of Keri?"  
  
I shuddered, shaking my head. "Don't even *joke* about things   
like that."  
  
After fighting with Keri, who began pouting again as soon as I   
tried to clothe her, I managed to get both my girls dressed and in the   
car about five minutes before we were suppose to meet everyone at the   
park. Mamo-chan shoved the stroller in the trunk, slamming it shut and   
mumbling a prayer under his breath that the trunk wouldn't pop open.   
Finally the three of us climbed in the car and started off to the park.  
  
It was a beautiful day; the sky was clear blue and the sun was   
shining down merrily on the city. The park was pretty full of people   
wanting to do as we were; watch the eclipse. Luckily for us Makoto and   
everyone else had gotten here before us and had saved us a place to   
sit. I sat Keri and Chibi-Usa down on the large blanket with strict   
instructions not to move while I helped Mamo-chan carry the rest of the   
stuff from the car.  
  
We returned to find Keri gone (as if I had expected anything   
less) and Rei chasing her close by. I sighed, unfolding the stroller   
and grabbing a squealing Keri as she was running past trying to get   
away from Rei. After I firmly buckled her in the stroller, we sat down   
to the huge lunch Makoto had made.  
  
Minako laid back, resting her arm over her eyes to block out the   
bright sun. "This is the life," she chirped happily, patting her   
stomach. "A beautiful summer day and good food makes for a happy   
MinaP!"  
  
"Too true," Makoto added, leaning back on her hands to glance up   
at the sky. "It's almost time, look!" she said, pointing towards the   
sky. The moon was slowly moving towards the sun, but not enough to   
block it's rays.  
  
"Mako-chan, don't look directly at the sun!" Ami said firmly, her   
finger wagging as if she were a lecturing teacher. "You can seriously   
harm your eyes."  
  
"Un!" Hotaru nodded, picking up her sunglasses and putting them   
on her face. "That's why Haruka-papa bought me new glasses."  
  
Minako sat up, whipping out a pair of sunglasses with pink rimmed   
half moon glasses, tiny jewels sparkling on the sides. "I got a new   
pair just for the occasion."  
  
"Are those real sunglasses or just some of those cheap ones,   
Mina?" Haruka asked incredibly, snatching the glasses from Minako and   
looking through them. She looked up at the sun and instantly took them   
from her face. "That didn't help block the sun's rays."  
  
"But they're stylish!" Minako retorted, putting them back on.   
"And that's what really counts, ne?"  
  
Everyone only laughed slightly in response. Ami shook her head as   
if trying to argue with the blonde Senshi were too much of a hassle for   
the good it would do. "Look Mama!" Chibi-Usa said excitedly, putting   
her own glasses on and pointing at the sky. "It's time!"  
  
Everyone put their glasses on, I even bought a small pair for   
Keri. Which did no good, since she was much more interested in the   
butterfly she held in her hands than the eclipse anyways. I leaned   
against Mamo-chan, enjoying the way his arm came around my shoulders   
comfortably as the moon made it's way over the sun.  
  
The rays slowly became less and less bright as the moon blocked   
their path. The entire park seemed quiet, as if we were all holding a   
collective breath as our eyes gazed at the sun shrinking behind the   
Moon. And then it happened; the moon had completely hidden the sun   
except for the dim rays that leaked from behind the shadow. Everything   
seemed dark, like only being lit by a candle rather than a roaring   
inferno. It was eerie, and I found myself holding my breath, wishing   
the sun would come back out.  
  
There was the sudden feeling that a cold hand had gripped my   
heart, a shadow of doom seem to grasp my soul. My heart beat quickened   
and my breathing became shallow. For a reason I couldn't explain I felt   
evil seeping into my mind. In the short time the Moon covered the sun,   
I could feel the hands of every enemy I had ever fought grabbing at my   
soul.  
  
"U--Usa..ko..." I blinked, pushing away my own feelings of dread   
and moving my gaze to my husband. As the Moon pushed on, past the sun,   
Mamo-chan slumped over into my arms.  
  
"Mamo-chan!" I screamed, putting my hands over his face. His skin   
was clammy and a cold sweat had broken out. "What's wrong? What's   
happening?!" Someone screamed... me? My vision grew brighter as the sun   
fully beamed down on us again. Mamo-chan was still in my lap, one hand   
grasping his chest. I pushed his wet bangs from his face, trying to   
look into his eyes. "Mamo-chan!!"  
  
Ami came over quickly, Setsuna at her side. They gently moved him   
from my lap, laying him on his back in the grass before me. Chibi-Usa   
was sitting beside me crying, holding Keri as they both watched Ami and   
Setsuna begin checking Mamo-chan's pulse. I couldn't think, it took all   
I had to not faint. Vaguely I could see Minako on her cell phone,   
watching worriedly as Ami worked on my husband.  
  
A few minutes later the sound of sirens filled the air, splitting   
the silent afternoon with it's piercing squeal. I felt someone helping   
me to my feet as Rei picked Keri up and Makoto grabbed Chibi-Usa. I   
couldn't do anything, couldn't move without Haruka's prodding voice in   
my ear. It never failed, when it came to Mamo-chan; I fell apart   
completely.  
  
We pulled up behind the ambulance and Haruka helped me out of the   
car as Mamo-chan was being wheeled into the emergency entrance. I don't   
remember going into the waiting room, it just seemed like suddenly we   
were there. Michiru was pushing a cup of coffee in my hands, but I   
couldn't drink. I couldn't move, only cry; watching the same scene in   
my head over and over of Mamo-chan, calling my name and then falling   
into my lap.  
  
It seemed like hours passed before someone came to tell us news   
on Mamo-chan. I was worn, staring dumbly ahead, my tears gone. My body   
was stiff and aching, but I couldn't stop rocking back and forth, my   
eyes unblinking. Michiru was sitting beside me, rubbing my back. But my   
body was numb, and I only felt a small movement. The double swinging   
doors opened slowly and an older man came out, looking up from his   
clipboard. I recognized him immediately; he worked in Mamo-chan's   
department.  
  
"Usagi-san," he greeted, walking over as I suddenly shot up from   
my chair, Haruka, Michiru and Ami following suit. Dr. Ureti was a short   
man, barely taller than me, with a receding hairline and warm friendly   
green eyes. He looked tired, but a small smile crept up on his lips as   
he shook my limp hand. "Mamoru is in stable condition. We ran some   
tests and took some x-rays, which the doctor in charge will want to   
discuss with you first thing in the morning after Mamoru has rested."  
  
"Can I see him?" I asked immediately, my voice croaking despite   
my will to keep it clear.  
  
Dr. Ureti smiled gently, tucking the clipboard close to his   
chest. "He insists on it." He turned and walked back through the double   
doors, leaving me to follow.  
  
My heartbeat quickened as my sandals padded softly on the tile   
floor. We passed room after room of ill people, some sleeping, some   
watching the TV hanging from the corner of the room. Finally Dr. Ureti   
stopped in front of a closed door on the right, knocking quickly and   
then pushing it open for me to walk through. He smiled slightly as he   
shut the door behind me and left me to stare at my husband's form   
laying on the bed.  
  
My heart seemed to come up to my throat, pounding painfully   
there. I couldn't speak, could only stare. In all the years I had known   
Mamo-chan, he'd never been in the hospital. He hardly even caught a   
slight cold. I had come to think of him as my pillar of strength,   
always there when I needed him. But I had never known him to need me,   
to be the one who looked to me. I realized with sickening awareness   
that I didn't know what to do, what to say. And I hated myself for it.  
  
"Usako?"  
  
I blinked, my hands clutching the material of my shirt as I tried   
not to let loose the flood of tears that had been sitting behind my   
eyes, waiting for the opportunity to spew forth. I didn't need to cry.   
Mamo-chan never showed weakness when I needed him, I shouldn't. I   
should be brave, for him. I took a step forward. Mamo-chan was staring   
at me strangely, his blue eyes swimming in an emotion I couldn't quite   
place. Was it disappointment?  
  
"Usako... what is it?" Mamo-chan asked, trying to sit up.  
  
When I saw him move I immediately jumped forward, shaking my   
hands. "No! You might hurt yourself!" I squeaked, immensely aware of   
how loud and panicked my voice sounded. Mamo-chan's eyes widened as he   
obediently laid back. Like the flood gates had been opened tears fell   
down my face and chin in waves. My husband again meet my eyes, this   
time not confusion but understanding shining in their blue depts.  
  
"Come here," he said softly, motioning for me to come sit on the   
bed at his side. "Usako, I'm not going to break. Come on," he chuckled   
and I seen his face tightened as he unconsciously reached for his   
chest. I came forward slowly, sitting on the far edge of the bed and   
continuing to cry, cursing every tear that felt it had to break free   
from my eyes.  
  
I felt Mamo-chan reach up and run his fingers through my hair and   
then place his hand on my cheek. I opened my eyes, bringing both my   
hands up to rest over his. "I'm sorry, Mamo-chan," I mumbled, cursed   
tears still falling from my eyes. "You're always there for me and   
now... now I don't know what to do. Oh Mamo-chan, I'm so scared!" I   
cried, hiccupping.  
  
"Hey now," he said soothingly, pulling me closer to lay gently on   
his chest. "It's okay. You're here; I know you love me, and that's more   
than I ever hoped for. That someone like you could love me as much as I   
love you." I clutched his shirt in my hand, grinding the tears from my   
eyes with my other hand. Mamo-chan kissed the top of my head, his hand   
coming up to slide down the side of my face and neck.  
  
I could hear his breathing deep in his chest, but it sounded   
different somehow from what I was used to hearing when I laid my head   
on him. I had never been so frightened in my life. For the longest time   
we just held each other, squished together on the small hospital bed. I   
could hear various machines in the room, all beeping in an arrhythmic   
tune that was wearing on my nerves. "Where are the kids?" Mamo-chan   
asked quietly.  
  
"Minako, Makoto and Rei took them back to the house," I mumbled,   
still grasping his shirt like it was my only lifeboat in a sea of   
uncertainty. I sat up some, my face still close to Mamo-chan's. "What's   
going on, Mamo-chan? You were so cold... and..." I swallowed, my heart   
speeding up just thinking about what happened at the park.  
  
"Shhh," Mamo-chan whispered, again kissing my forehead. I felt   
terrible, laying here crying. "The doctor will be in tomorrow, ok? I   
want you to do something for me. Will you?"  
  
"Hai," I said, sitting up and wiping my eyes with the back of my   
hand.  
  
Mamo-chan smiled, his eyes soft. "Go home, kiss the kids good   
night for me and get some sleep. In the morning the doctor will come in   
and we'll face whatever this is together."  
  
I shook my head, already the thoughts of leaving him here alone   
gnawing at my heart. "I want to stay here with you!" I told him   
feverishly, taking his hands in my own.  
  
"Usako, I'm ok. The kids have got to be terrified and they need   
to be with one of us. Go to them. They need you, too." I watched his   
eyes, so deep and full of understanding, as they gazed at me. "Go on,   
Usako," he urged. "I'll be fine until I see you again."  
  
I nodded numbly, my heart hurting so badly I felt I might faint.   
Mamo-chan took my face in his hands, bringing my face down so that he   
could kiss me softly, his lips lingering on mine for several minutes. I   
felt another tear slip down my face when we parted. How scared I had   
been just a few short hours ago that I'd never feel those lips on mine   
again. With a small cry I threw my arms around his neck, burring my   
face in my husband's neck. His arms came up around my body, holding me   
to him. "I love you Mamo-chan," I whispered in his ear. "I love you so   
much."  
  
"I love you Usako," he replied, the sincerity of his words   
throbbing in his voice. I pulled away from him reluctantly, biting my   
lip until it nearly bled. "Tell the kids I love them," he whispered,   
our fingers still touching until I walked away too far. I couldn't   
speak, my voice would fail, I knew. I nodded, finally turning to walk   
out the door and close it before I promptly slid down the metal and   
burst into silent tears.  
  
"Ma'am?" I looked up through my tears at a nurse bending beside   
me. Her face was concerned, but friendly as she put her hand on my   
shoulder. "Are you ok?"  
  
Taking a deep breath, I nodded and got up slowly. The world   
threatened to spin, but I kept the feeling at bay and made my way   
towards the waiting room. Haruka, Michiru and Ami all stood as soon as   
they seen me come through the door. "How is Mamoru-san?" Ami asked   
immediately, at my side before Haruka and Michiru could move.  
  
"He's ok tonight," I mumbled. The voice that left my mouth didn't   
sound like me, didn't sound right at all. Ami looked more worried as I   
spoke. "Haruka-san, could you take me home? I want to see my girls."  
  
The blonde nodded, opening the door and holding it as Michiru,   
Ami and I passed through. We got in the car, all silent as we sped   
through the streets of Tokyo and towards the neighborhood where I   
lived. I stared at the house, but it seemed different, knowing that   
Mamo-chan wasn't there. It didn't seem like a home at all, only a shell   
that once held my happiness within it's grasp. The sun had barely set,   
proving the rest of the world went on despite my fear and anxieties.  
  
"Usagi-chan!" Makoto jumped up from the couch, running over to   
the doorway as soon as she heard it open. "How is Mamoru-san? What's   
happened?" I walked past her, my mind set on one thing. "Usagi-chan?"   
Makoto repeated, looking at me strangely.  
  
I walked down the hall numbly passing by all eight Senshi, not   
looking into my bedroom, but passing it and going to Chibi-Usa's. I   
pushed open the door slowly, expecting to see my oldest daughter laying   
on her bed, perhaps asleep. Instead I gasped as I saw a brilliant white   
winged horse laying in the floor, Chibi-Usa bent over it and crying.   
Her bloodshot eyes looked up at me and she inhaled sharply, looking   
from the unicorn to me again. "Mama, Pegasus is hurt. He hurts, like   
Papa..."  
  
"Oh my God, Chibi-Usa..." I breathed, closing the bedroom door   
and going over to bend next to the horse. I didn't know much about this   
sort of thing, but the creature defiantly looked ill. It's huge pitiful   
eyes looked up at me, like it recognized me. "Mama, can Ami fix him?   
Please?" The animal's head fell back against the floor as if the small   
strain it took to lift it's head up took all it's energy. I nodded,   
biting my bottom lip. Chibi-Usa got to her feet, running out of the   
room.  
  
I stared at the creature, feeling so bad for it. I couldn't put   
my finger on what it was, but I knew that Pegasus was in pain. I   
wondered if the genius Senshi would be able to help. The horn of this   
creature caught my eye, it's golden aura glimmering in the moon light   
shining through the window. I reached my hand out towards it, drawn in   
by the glow it gave off.  
  
"Usagi-chan.... my goodness," Ami gasped, coming through the   
door, everyone else at her heels. I jerked my hand back, my skin still   
tingling with warmth. "What's wrong with him?" Ami asked Chibi-Usa, who   
was still crying as she stood at my side.  
  
"He hurts, in his chest, like Papa," Chibi-Usa sniffled, falling   
to her knees and bringing the unicorn's head to rest in her lap. "He   
hurts badly."  
  
"Can you talk to it?" Rei asked, amazed. "Can you hear it?"  
  
Chibi-Usa nodded as it was the most common thing in the world to   
talk to animals. I suppose growing up in a house with Luna and Artemis   
had taught her that. Lovingly she ran her hand down the horse's thin   
face, one of her glimmering tears falling on it's mane and sliding   
down. I watched with baited breath as Ami numbly pulled out her mini   
computer and began scanning the creature.  
  
Chibi-Usa looked up, watching Ami intensely. "A bad rose," my   
daughter whispered, her eyes glassy. I swung my eyes from the horse up   
to my daughter, aware that Chibi-Usa's voice was somehow different than   
the normal girlish chirp she usually had. Her eyes were dark and her   
hand automatically petted back and forth on the horse. "A beautiful   
garden, but one bad rose. It infected Ellison, it infected Pegasus...   
it infected Papa..." The words were no more out of her mouth than   
suddenly Chibi-Usa's eyes faded closed and she slumped to the side.  
  
"Chibi-Usa!" I cried, jumping up. The brilliant white unicorn   
still had it's head on her lap, a tear falling down it's face. I just   
knew that if I could hear it, it would also be calling her name. I   
picked my daughter up, laying her out on the bed. Ami stopped in mid-  
scan of the creature and quickly came over to the bed where Setsuna was   
already checking her pulse.  
  
Both women sat back, apparently having come to the same   
conclusion. It was Setsuna who finally spoke: "She's sleeping," she   
said quietly, her magenta eyes staring at Chibi-Usa. "I'd say   
exhaustion, from the shock of everything that has happened today. And,   
of course, she spent most of the afternoon crying." The Senshi of Time   
stood, pulling a blanket up over Chibi-Usa. "She'll be ok." Ami nodded   
her conformation.  
  
I looked back down at the creature, but it's eyes were closed as   
if it, too, were exhausted. Soundlessly it got to it's feet, looking   
like it would collapse. It's large amber eyes turned to me, but if it   
was speaking, I couldn't hear. In fascination I watched as it leapt up,   
it's front feet coming off the ground and it jumped onto the bed. I   
screamed, thinking it was harming Chibi-Usa. But the second it's hooves   
came towards her, it disappeared, like it was being sucked into her   
chest. I just stared. "What the hell just happened?"  
  
Ami, eyes wide, seemed to be trying to figure it out. In the end   
she shook her head, biting her bottom lip. "It's strange, Usagi-chan. I   
don't know how to explain it, but that creature seems to be *in* Chibi-  
Usa. Not hurting her, just... *there*."  
  
"But she's ok?" I whispered, placing my hand on her forehead. Her   
skin was cool to touch, her breathing regular. To look at her no one   
would know a unicorn was within her. The perfect hiding place.... "He's   
hiding," I mumbled, my eye brows knitted together. "From that woman   
Chibi-Usa said was hurting him. He's hiding, in her." Which meant the   
new enemy, whoever it was, was also looking for my daughter. I felt a   
shiver of apprehension go up my spine.  
  
Putting one arm under her legs and the other under her back, I   
lifted Chibi-Usa up from the bed and went into my bedroom with her.   
Trying to block out the images of Mamo-chan in my head as I laid her   
down, pulling the comforter up over her body. "Where's Keri?"  
  
"Asleep," Hotaru said, coming into the bedroom and leaning   
against the door frame. "I can watch her, she'll be fine Usagi-san. If   
you want to just get some rest."  
  
I smiled at the petite Senshi of Saturn, nodding. To sleep would   
be the best thing, I reasoned. Then the morning could come and I could   
go to Mamo-chan. Everyone bid me good night, all saying they were going   
to crash in the living room. Michiru shut the door, leaving me alone   
with Chibi-Usa and my memories. Rubbing my hands on my arms I went into   
the adjoining bathroom to change. As I came back, I stared numbly at   
the bed I had never slept in without Mamo-chan. The thought nearly   
scared me.  
  
I climbed into the queen size bed, shutting the light off. For   
hours it seemed, I laid there staring out the window and into the night   
sky. The sheets smelt of him, his pillow under my head giving off the   
faint smell of aftershave. I tried to block it out, to stop the tears   
that threatened to fall, but couldn't. Chibi-Usa was laying on the side   
of the bed I normally laid on, sound asleep. But I couldn't sleep, not   
without Mamo-chan's arms to hold me. It was a need I never knew I had,   
until it was gone. Now I could only toss and turn, trying to ignore the   
feeling of emptiness in my heart.  
  
For hours I laid there, my arms wrapped tightly around Mamo-  
chan's pillow as I tried to go to sleep. It was nearly one a.m. when I   
gave up completely. Rising soundlessly, I pulled on some sweatpants and   
a t-shirt, sandals and a jacket. I kissed Chibi-Usa's forehead and   
scribbled a small note that I left on the nightstand to let the Senshi   
know where I was. Quiet as a mouse I went down the hall, checking on   
Keri, only to find her sound asleep. I tiptoed over and past sleeping   
Senshi that were sprawled out all of my living room and out the kitchen   
door to the garage. I almost had the door shut when a I heard a voice   
hiss my name.  
  
"Luna?" I whispered, looking back in the kitchen. "What are you   
doing up?"  
  
"I could ask you the same," my guardian feline replied, sitting   
on the counter and looking at me indignantly. "Sneaking out at one in   
the morning, not telling anyone where you are going...."  
  
I grinned, running my hand down Luna's back. "I'm going to Mamo-  
chan, Luna. And I left minna a note."  
  
Luna stared at me a moment, making me feel like she was searching   
my soul for something. I couldn't really tell in the semi-darkness of   
the kitchen, but I thought her features relaxed some. "Be careful,   
Usagi-chan."  
  
I hugged Luna as best as one can hug a cat and stepped back to   
the door. "Thank you Luna," I whispered and shut the door behind me.   
Determination ran through my veins as I flipped the light on in the   
garage, my only thought was getting to Mamo-chan as fast as I could.   
Which, it turned out, would be harder than I expected. Haruka, Makoto   
and Ami's cars were parked behind Mamo-chan's, blocking my escape   
there. For a moment I was stumped; I knew that the bus didn't work this   
late and I never did like the subway.  
  
And then it dawned on me. Duh! I told myself gruffly, nearly   
giggling. I'm not Sailor Moon for nothing! With a nearly triumphant   
throw of my arm upwards, I summoned the ginzuishou and closed my eyes.   
"Moon Crystal Power!"  
  
Within minutes I was jumping from roof top to roof top, easily   
making my way towards the hospital. I couldn't wait to see Mamo-chan,   
to have him hold me. So imagine my surprise, if you will, when I   
detransformed, went into the hospital and to his room; only to found   
him sitting up, trying to remove all the machines hooked to him. "Mamo-  
chan?"  
  
"Usako!" My husband had been so preoccupied with the tubes that   
he hadn't seen me come in. His blue eyes looked up at me like I was   
surely a figment of his imagination. He blinked, still staring at me.   
"What's wrong?"  
  
Raising one eyebrow, I smiled sheepishly. "I... I couldn't sleep   
without you.." I admitted.  
  
The relief on his face was instantaneous. He stopped messing with   
the tube and took a deep breath. "Mo*, Usako, you scared me to death. I   
felt you transform and I started thinking it was an enemy..."  
  
"No, I... wait, you *felt* me transform?" I asked, coming to sit   
on the side of his bed now that he thought he would lay back down.  
  
He nodded, surprise lighting up his features. "Hai, I thought you   
knew? I.. I can feel you, inside me. It's hard to explain, but I just   
know how you feel when you are experiencing a strong emotion. I can   
feel when you are really happy, sad, scared and... well, I feel   
*everything* you feel when we are together." I felt a blush heat up my   
face and I brought my hands to my face, nearly hiding behind them. His   
strong hand reached up, pulling on my own. "Don't hide, there's nothing   
to be ashamed of."  
  
"But--why? Why can you feel what I do and I can't you? It's not   
fair," I mumbled, biting my bottom lip. "It's not fair that you have to   
go through everything I do. Why don't I have that connection with you?"  
  
Mamo-chan chuckled, reaching to bring me towards him. Kicking my   
sandals off I lay beside him, nearly on top of him, and allowed him to   
put his strong arms around me. Relief flooded through me, finally being   
in his arms, where I belonged.   
  
"After my parents died, I relied on the link between you and I a   
lot. I didn't know what it was then, but it helped me live through the   
orphanages, through being alone. I just knew that one day I would find   
who it was I had that connection with, and I wouldn't be alone anymore.   
You helped me through so much, without knowing it.   
  
"And then one day I felt emotions so strong that it was like a   
wave crashing. It was the day I first saw you, and I knew. I passed you   
going into the arcade the night you arrived from the States. I watched   
you and Shingo eating and talking to Motoki, then Haruka and Michiru. I   
watched as you left, and saw the man pulling a gun on you. I knew how   
scared you were... you were even scared of me..."  
  
I felt his arms tightened around me and I answered the call   
happily, snaking my own arms around his midsection carefully. For a   
long moment we just held each other, saying nothing. But questions were   
still burning in my mind. "Mamo-chan, why don't I have that? Why can't   
I feel you?"  
  
"You do," he said simply, his lips grazing my forehead. "You just   
don't realize it yet. You are so understanding of everyone's emotions   
that you don't think much about it. You share bonds with all of the   
Senshi, and me, and the kids... That's how everyone knew you had   
wrecked the car that night; we all felt the same strong surge of fear   
from you. It's how you know how they are feeling, without them telling   
you."  
  
I nodded, too sleepy to discuss it anymore. Now that I was in his   
arms, the sleep that had been evading me all night crept slowly into my   
body and mind. I yawned, grasping Mamo-chan's shirt in my hand. "I love   
you, so very, very, very much," I whispered, feeling his lips on my   
head again.  
  
"I love you," he replied. Those words: we had exchanged them so   
many hundreds of times throughout our life together. Yet they still   
throbbed with the same sincerity; still brought a smile to my lips. It   
was hard to say how I felt for Mamo-chan, hard to explain how deep my   
emotions ran for him. But those words, however clumsy Mamo-chan once   
said them to be, still summoned it up nicely to me. I love you didn't   
just mean that I held love for my husband. They meant he held my heart,   
my life, my happiness, my past, my future and I, his. It meant that for   
all eternity I would have this happiness in my heart.  
  
I drifted off to sleep, my heart still thumping steadily to the   
feeling in my veins. To the peacefulness that always settled over me   
when Mamo-chan had his arms, his love, wrapped securely around me.   
  
--End Chapter 4.  
This chapter is... mushy and pointless. Ok, so less pointless, but   
still mushy. I couldn't help it, I needed a break from tension and what   
better way to do that than to remind everyone yet *again* why Usagi and   
Mamoru are together ^_^ Even if I have them producing spores like Keri.   
The action heats up in the next chapter, infact, a lot of things are   
explained, some fights break out amoung the senshi, there are some more   
questions to take place of those answered, and someone dies. :} So, in   
light of everything I've just said, I hope everyone sticks around for   
chapter five!   
  
*Mo means "geez" in japanese  
  
Read? Like? Hate? Review! Because I suck at mind reading ;)  
  
3 Bethany  
12-30-02 


	6. More confusion, please

Author's Notes at bottom - Enjoy!  
  
@--------  
Forever More  
Chapter Five  
By: Bethany  
Editor: Meara  
Rated: PG  
@--------  
  
I awoke the next morning only because Mamo-chan was nudging me awake. There was an unpleasant tingling in my right foot, as well as some pain in my back from where I had leaned up against the bar on the side of the hospital bed that just wasn't made for two. I felt Mamo-chan's lips on my eyelids as his hand gently caressed my back. "Wake up beautiful," he whispered softly, chuckling. "Come on Usako, you gotta wake up."  
  
"Why?" I mumbled, leaning my face up towards his for a kiss.   
  
He obliged instantly, pressing his soft lips to mine. He drew back slowly and I could nearly feel his smile. I smiled like a love struck teenager, my eyes still closed blissfully. "Better?" he asked.  
  
"MmmHmmm," I drawled, still not ready to open my eyes and face the day. I knew the second I got up that reality would take a front seat, and quite frankly I would have liked to stay in his arms forever. "More?"  
  
"As many as you want," he chuckled and again I felt his lips press down on mine.  
  
"Um, excuse me," a voice said and Mamo-chan and I moved apart so quickly that I hit my head on the metal bar. Both of us red faced with blush, we looked towards the door and seen a tall man with a lab coat on, a clip board in his hand. Behind him was the nurse from the night before in the hall, her face in a wide grin as I hastily got up. I sat down in the seat beside Mamo-chan's bed, lacing my fingers through his tightly.  
  
The doctor, momentarily speechless, managed to smile and gather his wits back about him. "I have the results from the tests we ran last night. There is nothing abnormal on any of the tests we ran," he concluded, but he didn't smile, nor did he look like he was finished. I found instead of being happy, my heart began thudding faster. Mamo-chan's fingers squeezed mine tighter, his eyes still staring at the doctor. "We also did several x-rays, and I'm afraid that something most peculiar has shown up in your chest x-ray."  
  
The doctor nodded and the nurse to his right flipped the lights off as the doctor placed x-ray films on a small mount on the wall that lit up. I bit my lips so hard that the bitter sweet taste of blood was seeping into my mouth. I didn't have to listen to the doctor to know what he meant by 'peculiar' -- for certainly what showed up on that film was far from normal. And it was without a doubt frightening.  
  
"If you'll notice in this area right here, in the left and right lung, there is a darkened area. It looks like a... a mass," he explained, searching for words. But I didn't hear anything else he said. I only heard Chibi-Usa's un-naturally serious and dark voice last night, over and over again in my mind.   
  
A bad rose.... A beautiful garden, but one bad rose. It infected Ellison, it infected Pegasus... it infected Papa...  
  
There on the screen x-ray was a black rose, it's shape undeniable, inside my soul-mate's chest. The doctor continued to speak, trying, I assumed, to give a scientific explanation of the shape, of the matter... but he wouldn't be able to. I already knew. Evil. Evil that came with being the protectors of Earth, and once more it was attacking my very being.  
  
A bad rose.... it infected Papa... A bad rose.... Ellison... Pegasus... She knew-- but how? What was going on with my daughter? With my husband?  
  
With Earth?  
  
@--------  
  
Somehow I had managed to do it. Through everything that the doctor had said, through the look of concern on my husband's face, I hadn't shed a tear. I blocked out that part of my soul, for just a few hours. Long enough to get Mamo-chan home, to get the girls down for a nap. Somehow I had managed.  
  
But I couldn't stand it any longer. I wasn't the strong one, Mamo-chan was. I didn't want to be strong; I wanted to wallow in my grief, scream to the heaven's about injustice that once more... once more my family would suffer because of my past, my destiny. I didn't want to be Sailor Moon, I didn't want to be a Princess. All I wanted was to be a wife, a mother -- nothing more.  
  
Claiming I needed a long hot shower to relax my stiff muscles, I had went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me, and turned the water on as hot as I could stand it. Hoping to clear my head, I got in. The steaming water beat down on my body, turning it red with heat, but I didn't care. I clutched my arms around my midsection, fighting the urge to cry. But I couldn't help it, couldn't stop the tears that filled my eyes and crept out. My head against the tile, I slowly down the wet wall and to sit on the bottom, releasing a river of pent up tears that mingled with the steamed water, blending until they were inseparable.   
  
But it wasn't enough to hide from my soul-mate, to cry alone. He knew, always knew -- and would always know my every feeling. It was a curse and a blessing to have him so close to my heart. At this moment I wanted to be alone, and yet I heard the bathroom door open and felt the cold air pour into the room and knew he had felt my grief.  
  
Large familiar hands reached in and shut the water off before pulling the curtain back. Even though I'm sure he knew what he would find, the shock of seeing me pitifully crying on the floor of our shower registered on his face. I tried to hide, too look the other direction, but it was no use. He bent down, pushing a sopping wet piece of hair away from my face. "Usako..." he breathed, the word alone filled with so much love that my heart ached more.   
  
I felt a sob clutch my throat, but I determinedly kept it down. I wiped my hands across my face, blinking back the tears. "I'm okay," I whispered, feeling foolish for sitting in the bathtub, crying like a child Keri's age would. I reached up, pulling the towel off the rack on the wall and covering myself with it. Mamo-chan watched me, his heart seemingly in his eyes. I got out, wrapping the towel around my body, staring at myself in the mirror. As much as I tried, I couldn't help darting my gaze to his.  
  
Soundlessly he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around my waist. I watched our reflection as he pressed his lips to my bare shoulder, his arms tightening. "I love you so much, Usako..." he whispered, his lips now near my ear. "You don't know how much it hurts me to see you upset..." his deep voice mumbled as his experienced hands pulled at my towel.  
  
I didn't have the strength nor the will to object. There was a certain fire deep in my soul that came alive at his touch, a fire that hadn't been sparked much since we had a certain two year old causing havoc in our lives. "What about the kids...?"  
  
"The girls can handle them if they wake," he replied before lifting me up in his arms. For a split second I wondered if that was true, but decided I'd rather worry about it later.  
  
@--------  
  
The peaceful thumping of my own heart beating in time to Mamo-chan's and the rain beating steadily on the window outside was the only sounds in the room. Mamo-chan had fallen asleep, his arms tightly around me, but I couldn't sleep. I knew that Keri and Chibi-Usa both would sleep for another hour, and I was exhausted from sleeping so uncomfortably for those few hours I had slept last night. But I couldn't stop thinking about the enemy long enough to allow myself the escape that sleep would bring. Frustrated, I got up and pulled on shorts and a t-shirt.  
  
Mamo-chan slept on as I quietly exited our room and shut the door behind me. Chibi-Usa and Keri were both still asleep, so I went into the living room, expecting to see everyone sitting around talking. Instead I was greeted with Minako laying across the couch, the remote in her hands as she flipped through the channels. She barely flicked her eyes up when I sat down in the chair across from her. "Where's minna?" I asked, glancing over at the pile of blankets folded next to the couch.  
  
"Mako-chan had to go to work, Rei back to the temple, Hotaru is at school, Ami at work and everyone else went to get something to eat," the Senshi of Love answered, making a face at the television and flipping the channel again. "One hundred stations and not a thing on..."  
  
"How come you didn't go with them?" I asked.  
  
Minako rolled her eyes, sitting up and casting a longing look outside at the rain. "You know how mysterious Haruka and Michiru get when there's an enemy, I just didn't want to be in the middle of that. It amazes me how we all get along until something evil approaches, and then Haruka starts acting like she used to. Like they're better than us, or something."  
  
I could see right away Minako wasn't in the mood to be thinking about how the Outer Senshi choose to deal with enemies. Sighing, I got up, intent on changing the subject or getting out of the line of fire, which ever was needed first. "I'm going to fix something to eat, you want something?"  
  
When Minako didn't answer, I looked back towards her, only to find her staring at the television with this expression of shock on her face. Confused, I went over to stand beside the couch where I could see. On the television was an advertisement for a circus. "Dark Moon Circus," I read off the screen, watching the strange and downright weird creatures on the screen. "Hadn't heard of..."  
  
"There, look!" Minako squealed, pointing at the television as the announcer spoke up again.  
  
"Featuring the never before seen Pegasus!" said a deep, booming voice. "Two shows only, today at two and another show at seven. Don't miss it!" the announcer commanded and the commissarial clicked off.  
  
"What?!" I gasped. Minako looked as shocked as I did, but was also messing with the remote. She clicked the play button and the commercial played again where she had recorded it. Again the announcer came on the screen and again it showed a picture of a white horse with wings and a golden horn. Minako paused it, shaking her head. "Can that be...?" I nearly whispered, sitting down on the couch.  
  
"It sure looks like it," Minako responded, the remote still held out in front of her. "The guardian of Ellison, by day running around in Chibi-Usa's chest and by night doing circus acts?" Minako asked incredibly.  
  
"I doubt it. It seems funny that this weird circus comes to town about the same time that Helios does, and now this...." I said, suspicious. "Like it might be more than just a circus..."  
  
"You think it could be the enemy trying to lure Helios to them?"  
  
"Could be." I sat back, still staring at the screen. "I think we should check this out," I told Minako, looking over at her for a confirmation.  
  
"Hai. You want me to call everyone?" she asked.  
  
I shook my head, standing up. "No, we don't know anything for sure yet. We'll go check it out, and if it's worth calling the Senshi, then we'll call them. I know it's hard for Mako-chan and Ami to find excuses to leave work so often. And Rei was saying she was behind on things at the temple." I nodded, convincing myself as well as Minako that I was right. "We'll be okay." Before she could reply, I quickly ran upstairs to change clothes. Mamo-chan was still sleeping when I closed the door again.  
  
"What about Mamoru-san?" Minako asked, throwing the keys to me as we started out the door.  
  
I looked forward, not wanting Minako to see how guilty I felt for what I was about to do. I had left only a note on my pillow saying I would be back later and I knew he would be angry I didn't call the other Senshi if he knew where I was going. "Staying with the kids," I mumbled, dismissing the subject.  
  
@--------  
  
I hadn't noticed it before, what with all that had happened in the last week, but in the center of the city was a large... well, balloon was the only way to put it. Or at least, that is what it looked like until we approached it. Upon closer inspection, it resembled a massive ship with a large black hot air balloon on top. There were cars everywhere of people who had came to the two o'clock show; I couldn't even find a place to park for ten minutes.  
  
Finally we parked and went up to this circus. I could tell immediately that something just didn't feel right, and from the way Minako walked, her eyes searching all around her constantly, I could tell she felt it, too. Something was here. Something evil.  
  
Instead of going in, we walked around the back of the ship, searching for anything out of the ordinary. We circled around, but found nothing. I started up the front to the doors when suddenly Minako grabbed me, yanking me behind some crates just off to the left. "Shhh," she whispered, pointing. I looked out from behind our hiding spot, watching as four young girls walked out of the ship.  
  
They looked to all be the same age, young; perhaps thirteen. Their appearances were far from ordinary children, however. And I mean that literally. The girl in the front was wearing what looked like a bikini top that was tied up around her neck and white pants with green trim and sandals. And her hair! It was pulled back, one large piece up above her head and two others hanging from the sides. She stopped not too far from the three girls behind her, crossing her arms. "Well, that was a waste of our time," she stated harshly.  
  
"Yeah, but you can't tell that stupid Zirconia it wouldn't work. She don't listen to us," the second girl answered. She was also wearing next to no clothing, this time red. And while her hair wasn't as... different, for lack of a better word, than the first girl's, she had spikes on her shoulders that more than made up for it.  
  
There were two more girls that brought up the back, one in pink and the other in blue. These two also had strange hairstyles, but at least more clothes on than the first too-- though not by far. I took a quick glance over at Minako to see her face wearing the same dumbfounded expression I did.  
  
The girl in blue was holding something in her hands, and I couldn't really tell from where I was, but it looked like a doll. She was making it dance through the air roughly, it's legs dangling. Suddenly she threw it down, stomping her foot on it. "Para Para hates this. She wants to play."  
  
"Oh grow up, will you?!" the girl in red demanded. It took me a moment to realize that the girl in blue was talking about herself in third person.  
  
Para Para's eyes filled with tears as she stared at the person in front of her. The girl in question threw her hands up and stalked past them all. "I'm so sick of listening to that old hag in there."  
  
"I think we should ask Nephelienia-sama about it," said the girl in pink thoughtfully. "She would let us find the Golden Mirror of Dreams, I know she would."  
  
"Un! Un!" Para Para nodded her head, her hands clasped in front of her. She turned on her heel, running back into the ship, giggling. "Ne, minna! Para Para wants to find Nephelienia-sama!"  
  
As the four girls once more took off inside the ship, Minako and I stood up, looking at each other thoughtfully. "What do you think?" the Senshi of Love finally asked, her eyes watching the entrance to the ship closely.  
  
I looked around to be sure we were alone and once more started up the ramp into the ship. "I think we go have a closer look around." Minako looked as if she was about to say something, but thought better of it and ran to catch up with me. Keeping to the shadows, we crept inside the ship and started down the hall.  
  
It seemed we were getting nowhere, or at least not anytime soon. There was no rooms, no doors: nothing but the long expansion of hall before us. Just about the time I was ready to give up and turn back, the hall around us vanished. One second it was there; the next we were standing in the middle of a large room that remotely looked like a circus tent. I felt Minako grab my arm like she was about to pull me back when suddenly the landing we were standing on shot up in the air. Minako and I both screamed as it rose a good fifty feet up and then stopped so abruptly that I nearly lost my footing.  
  
"What's going on?!" Minako gasped, looking about.  
  
Suddenly the entire place was flooded with light, showing about twenty or more pillars around us. Each of them held a different creature, some so weird and outrageous looking there was no doubt in my mind it was evil. Minako pressed herself to my side, her eyes wide. There was a giggle, but it seemed to be coming from all around us. I glanced towards the ceiling just as a swing lowered itself down. Sitting on it was the young girl we had seen outside earlier, the one in the pink. She smiled as she rocked back and forth on it.  
  
"Do you know why the little children scream in their sleep?" she asked, her legs still swinging back and forth.  
  
Another voice giggled, this time a large column rising up beside us. The young girl in red was sitting on the back of what looked like a cross between a tiger and an elephant; that's how big it was. She was sitting on it's shoulder blades, her hands gripping the spiked collar around it's neck. "And the mothers see dream things in the middle of the day?"  
  
My heart pounding, I whipped my head around just as the girl in green was coming towards us from the hall we had came from. She jumped up in the air, doing a summersault before landing on the swing with the first girl. "Dreams are reality, reality are dreams. Those who grow up loose their way, and those who haven't will die anyway..."  
  
I swallowed, painfully aware of how tight Minako was holding onto my arm. I tried to take a deep breath, but couldn't. The feeling I had when we first arrived --of evil-- was intensified ten times over in here. I could feel it creeping on me, just like yesterday during the eclipse. I tried to shake it off, but it was strong. Minako and I both gasped as a large blue ball suddenly rose up in front of us, Para Para sitting on top of it. "Never, never be suspicious of the dreams within the dreams of dreaming kids...." she chanted in a stiff voice so unlike that one she used not to shortly before.  
  
"Enough!" roared a voice. I had this sickening feeling are situation had just went from bad to worse. My suspicions were proven correct as the lights all moved to shine on this one.... youma? Yeah, I'd say that summoned it up nicely. And without a doubt the ugliest one I had ever seen. Her face was deformed, gray skin hanging off her face and a white bizarre looking hat and cloak covered the rest of her body. It wasn't just an ugly sight, this creature was without a doubt the most un-humanly disgusting thing I had ever laid my eyes on. At it's side it held a tall staff with what looked like an eyeball on top--with wings, no less.  
  
It's voice came to us in a raspy deep, but booming voice that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. "Intruders, I see," she said, pointing to us. "Your curiosity will bring you terrible consequences."  
  
Minako, still holding tightly onto my arm, glanced around nervously. "Eh, gomen. We were... lost? Trying to find the circus..." Suddenly her voice faltered and with a shaking hand, she discreetly motioned for me to look down. As Minako continued to try and explain that we were nothing more than innocent bystanders, I looked down to the floor below where we stood and seen bodies. They were everywhere, slumped over each other, unconscious -- or, I feared, dead. "So we'll just be going now!" Minako squeaked, smiling in a saccadic way.  
  
She turned on her heel, pulling me along with her, but the column we stood on didn't move. The four girls were now standing behind us, each staring at us with murderous intent. I gulped, taking a step back just as Minako did. "Who are you?" I asked, trying to keep them at bay while I searched longingly for a way out of this mess.  
  
"Magician of bouncing balls, Para Para!" squeaked the girl in blue.  
  
The girl next to her, in green, shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "Magician of acrobatic feats, JunJun," she said, moving her hands so that a green ball formed, stilling in the air between her hands.  
  
"Magician of flowers, CereCere," announced the third girl, her hands on her hips like she expected a round of applause.  
  
The final girl was staring at the other three incredibly. Shaking her head, she, too, produced a ball between her hands; a red one. "Magician of Beasts, VesVes."  
  
I just stared dumbly. I know I had asked who they are, but who would have thought they would have not only told us, but went into description about it? My hand began tingling as Minako continued to squeeze unmercifully. There was a stretch of silence that passed over us that was suddenly broken by JunJun pulling a pool queue out of thin air and aiming it at her ball. "A nice shot," she said, her eyes twinkling evilly. Before I had time to register what was happening, the ball was shot into the air behind us, hitting against a column and then coming straight for us.  
  
"What out!" Minako yelled, ducking down and pulling me with her. The ball shot through the air where I had stood, flying back over into JunJun's hand.  
  
"Damn," she spat, her eyes seeming to glow with the evil radiated in them. "Stand still, why don't you? I just want to know if you have a golden mirror of dreams."  
  
"A golden mirror of--oof!" Minako once more pulled us both to the side as another ball, this one red, shot through the air at us. The girls in front of us cackled, save for VesVes who was red faced with anger that her ball had missed.  
  
And as if things weren't bad enough, all four girls now had pool cues and were aiming their balls. I swallowed, stepping back. But there was nothing but a fifty foot drop behind us, and four evil little girls in front. No escape. My heart began beating madly as panic let loose through my body. Why hadn't I called the Senshi?  
  
"A nice shot," they chorused and four balls went flying through the air, bouncing off the ceiling, columns and walls, only to come flying towards us. Minako finally let go of my arm so that I jumped one way and she the other. But unlike before, the balls only hit off another surface and came back again, the girls cheering them on. There was no where to run, nowhere to escape to.   
  
I dodged another ball and slid across the floor, nearly falling off the side. Just as I gathered my footing about me again, a yellow and blue ball came at me from both directions. I ducked, feeling the air on the top of my head as they zoomed by. "Usagi-chan, watch out!" Minako screamed.   
  
I looked up just in time to dodge another ball, but I wasn't fast enough to warn Minako as the red ball hit her square in the back and came out through her chest. Her eyes were wide and solid blue before she fell straight to the ground. "Minako!" I screamed, dodging another ball as I ran across the ten feet between us. There was a large pink framed mirror floating above her body.  
  
"Damn, that's not it either," I heard JunJun mutter angrily.  
  
"What have you done to her?" I screamed, bending down at her body. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes rolled back in her head. "Minako-chan!" I screamed, but received no response. I looked back up at the mirror again, horrified to see a ball rushing towards it. I jerked it down and out of the way, pushing it at Minako. Suddenly it re-entered her body and the Senshi of Venus' eyes fluttered open.  
  
"Usagi-chan, look--!" I glanced up, rushing at me was one of the billiard balls. Instinctually I knew I didn't have time to move out of the way. I closed my eyes, praying that Minako would know to put the mirror back in me.  
  
The impact never came, however. Instead I felt someone pick me up and move out of the way just as the ball whizzed by my head. I peeked one eye open, eternally grateful to see my husband's face, eyes covered in a familiar domino mask, looking straight ahead. He jumped down from the column, landing us on the floor a little more roughly than normal. It didn't take long to find out why. He put me down, one hand clutching his chest as he fell to one knee. "Mamo-chan?!" I gasped, getting on my knees in front of him.  
  
He shook his head, looking past me. Just behind us Haruka landed, carrying Minako. She put the blonde down, glancing over to see if we had made it safely. I couldn't take my eyes of Mamo-chan, though. There was an intense look of pain on his face that he was trying unsuccessfully to hide. "Mamo-chan..!" I gasped as he took in a ragged breath.  
  
"Usa...Usako...," he breathed and fell to both knees, struggling to keep his breathing normal. I couldn't think of anything but getting out of here, getting him out of here. This was my fault.  
  
My fault.  
  
"Usagi, we gotta move!" Sailor Uranus said urgently, putting one of Mamo-chan's arms over her shoulder and helping him to stand up. "Go, now!" she barked. I bit my lip, wanting to stay and help.   
  
Sailor Jupiter came up on my other side, helping Uranus with Mamo-chan just as Sailor Mars grabbed my arm, yanking me forward as another ball whizzed by our head. "Usagi, come on!" Mars hissed. "We're all in big trouble if we don't get out of here!" I didn't have time to think about why we were running away, why we didn't fight. I could only think about Mamo-chan's face and the stinging sensation in my feet as my thin tennis shoes slapped on the hard floor as we ran.  
  
Ahead of us I seen the large opening that lead outside and with a gasp of panic realized we were rising into the air. Neptune came skidding to a halt, throwing her hands forward to regain her balance and not fall through the door. "Shimatta-- we're too late!" she turned to us, her eyes darting beyond for any sign of the four girls.  
  
"Quick!" Pluto commanded. "Sailor Teleport, now!"  
  
I don't know how we managed it without me being transformed, but somehow in a few seconds time we were back at my house. I vaguely seen Hotaru running into the kitchen worriedly, biting her nail as Haruka and Mako-chan practically carried Mamo-chan into our bedroom and laid him on the bed. With tears splashing down my face and neck, and Rei holding one arm in front of me, I watched as Setsuna and Ami checked my husband over. And all I could think was that this was all my fault for having left in the first place; for not calling the Senshi.  
  
Rei lead me into the living room where I sat down on the couch and curled my legs up underneath me, staring blankly ahead. I made no attempt to wipe at the tears on my face. Rei, obviously not knowing what to say, sat beside me just as quietly.  
  
About ten minutes later Haruka returned to the living room, running a hand through her short blonde hair. I looked up at her expectantly, but she only scowled. "Why didn't you call us before you went over there?" she demanded, her eyes boring into mine.  
  
"Now's hardly the time for--" Rei began, but Haruka cut her off shortly with a stern wave of her hand.  
  
"That was without a doubt one of the stupidest things you've done! And I know you to have done some stupid ones!" I recoiled back from her harsh words; each were knives directed at my soul and they hit with point black accuracy. Her next words only confirmed what I had been thinking all along. "It's your fault the Prince is laying in there gasping for his next breath! Your irresponsible actions! You never think, do you?"  
  
I pushed myself back, trying to sink into the couch cushions and disappear. She was right - I was stupid. A lousy Princess and even worse, now I had gotten Mamo-chan hurt. I felt my bottom lip quiver with a sob when unrepentantly Rei stood up, one hand on her hip as she pointed her finger at Haruka. "Shut UP!" she screamed, her eyes alit with fire. "Just shut the hell up!"  
  
Haruka blanched, her mouth hanging open, but no words coming out. She took a moment to recover herself and noticed Makoto standing beside her, looking fit to kill. Makoto suddenly crossed her arms, stepping forward so that Haruka was forced to look at her. "I think you'd better leave, Haruka," she said lowly. "Rei-chan is right, now is not the time to discuss this."  
  
Again I thought Haruka would say something when a hand reached out from behind her, touching her arm gently. Michiru stepped forward, shaking her head. I watched in silent amazement as Haruka, giving one last glare our direction, turned and slammed out the front door. Michiru turned to us, a look of mixed emotions on her face before she followed her life-mate.  
  
I hiccupped, the tears still freely running down my face. All I could think was Haruka was right; and while it was only natural for the Senshi to take up for me, it *was* my fault. My fault Mamo-chan was there, getting me out of harm's way--only to place himself in it. My fault he is hurting now more than he was already. I buried my face in my hands, trying to control the sobs that tore loose from my chest, but I couldn't. I could hear the Senshi talking around me in quiet tones, and at that moment I never felt I had disappointed them more.  
  
There was voices in the hall growing louder, Hotaru and another voice: Chibi-Usa. I could see Hotaru trying to hold her back, but she was fighting her fiercely. "I want my Mama and Papa!" she screamed, pushing her hands in Hotaru's face. "I want my Mama! Let go of me Hotaru-chan, let go of me!" Suddenly Chibi-Usa stepped on Hotaru's foot, whether intentional or not, I couldn't tell, and came running into the living room, looking around wildly. "Mama!"  
  
"Chibi-Usa, you shouldn't have--" I started to tell her, wiping my eyes quickly.  
  
But she wasn't listening to me, shaking her head she began pulling on my hand. "Come on, Mama! He wants to see Papa--Helios, he wants to see him! Come on!"  
  
"What?" But instead of talking, Chibi-Usa yanked on my arm as hard as she could and it was either get up or be drug into the floor. I stood up, half running up the steps as Chibi-Usa tugged on my hand. We entered my bedroom where Mamo-chan was laying flat on his back on the bed. His face turned to me as I came in and he smiled. I felt my heart break. "Chibi-Usa, what is all this?" I asked my daughter, not even looking down, least I would have known she wasn't in the room.  
  
But she was back a second later, her eyes wide with excitement. I heard Ami, Makoto, Rei, Minako and Setsuna talking behind me, but I couldn't speak. Just as Chibi-Usa entered the room, the lights went out and we were draped in shadows. The sun was nearly all the way beyond the horizon now, and left a lot to be desired light wise. Then a spark flashed on the other side of the bed, growing larger and larger until suddenly it took the outline shape of a horse.  
  
Chibi-Usa, looking more excited than I had seen her in days, reached up and grasped my hand tightly, her face in a broad grin. In silent fascination, I watched as the horse materialized in my room. It's brilliant white coat gleamed in the partial sun rays shining in the room, a long golden horn protruded proudly from it's forehead. It pawed the floor for a moment, whining lowly. Then, as if there was a string pulling it from above, it shot up on it's hind feet, spreading it's magnificent wings out on both sides.  
  
Before my already stunned eyes, the figure began to shrink until it took the shape of a boy. A boy with a golden horn protruding out of his head. My mouth fell open.  
  
He had long shimmering white hair, the color of the horse's mane, and a white pants and shirt, lightly accented with pale blue and gold. He looked serene; the perfect picture of calmness and gentleness. My heart that had been pounding so painfully before now slowed as a wave of calmness over took my senses. The Priest Helios stepped forward, bending to one knee as he placed one hand over his heart. "My Prince," he said.  
  
Mamo-chan had watched all of this as I had, but he didn't look nearly as surprised by it. In fact, he smiled at Helios like he was a long lost friend. "Helios, please don't bow," Mamo-chan said to him, grinning slightly. As he said this, though, I could see the strain on his face and his hand unconsciously reached for his chest.  
  
From the way Helios' eyes narrowed, I could tell he seen it, too. "My Prince, I'm afraid this is my fault. I could not properly protect Ellison, and because of this, I couldn't protect you. I have failed to do my job, I have failed to protect those innocents of this world."  
  
Chibi-Usa still squeezing herself to my side, I came forward and sat on the bed beside my husband. Helios seemed to know me, for he smiled gently, his eyes full of pleasure. "Princess Serenity," he said, confirming my suspicions. I couldn't remember ever meeting him, but unfortunately, I wouldn't have time to ponder this. At that precise moment the horn on Helios' head flashed blindingly. I reached up to cover my eyes and felt a falling sensation, all around I could see nothing but white light.  
  
Then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. I blinked, sitting up. Laying next to me was Chibi-Usa and to my other side, Mamo-chan. "Where are we?" I asked, getting to my feet. Surprisingly, when I turned to help Mamo-chan up, he was already standing. The color in his face was back to normal, and his breathing regular. I felt my heart skip a beat as I watched him look around with that familiar curiosity that meant he was pondering something. And best of all, he didn't seem to be in any pain whatsoever.  
  
"Mama," Chibi-Usa whispered, looking around in awe. "I think we are in Helios' home!"  
  
We had found ourselves on a white marble sidewalk that lead up to a large temple. There was trees and bushes everywhere, golden and silver leaves dangling lazily from their branches. Lush fountains shot up in the air, the water making calming humming noises as they flowed along. About fifty feet in front of us was a river, not very wide, flowing alongside rows and rows of rose bushes.  
  
Mamo-chan, apparently feeling more stronger than he had in days, scooped Chibi-Usa up and grabbed my hand with his free one. "Come on, let's go see what's around here."  
  
With nothing else to do about our situation, I allowed him to entwine his fingers with mine and the three of us walked towards the river. It was breathtakingly beautiful everywhere I looked. The roses were all either buds, in the stage of blooming or beautifully full grown, but never dying. I drank in the scene, yearning to touch one perfect petal, but not daring. Everything looked too perfect to touch, to serene. Chibi-Usa squirmed out of Mamo-chan's arms, running up ahead of us to look at all the flowers.  
  
"Where are we?" I whispered to my husband as soon as our daughter was out of ear shot. "It doesn't look like any place for an enemy. Is Chibi-Usa right? Could we be in Helios' land?"  
  
"I know this place," Mamo-chan said, squeezing my hand tighter in his as he looked around. "But I can't remember where... it's so familiar."  
  
"IIE*!"  
  
I whipped my head around towards where I had seen Chibi-Usa last. Mamo-chan took off in a run, leaving me to follow close behind. Not too far from us Chibi-Usa was standing, staring at a rose bush, tears falling down her eyes. She looked horrified. "Chibi-Usa? What's wrong?" I gasped, falling to my knees beside her and turning her towards me.She wouldn't stop looking at something and slowly I drew my gaze away from her crying form and to where she pointed.  
  
There, in the middle of a large bush of perfect roses, was an angry looking black rose. It's thorns were razor sharp and the contrast to the pure white of the other flowers was devastating. I gasped, looking up at Mamo-chan in question as Chibi-Usa continued to cry. "What does it mean?" I wondered a loud, drawing Chibi-Usa to my chest.  
  
Mamo-chan again scanned the area, his eyes now narrowed. I could tell he was trying to remember where he knew this place from, but still couldn't place it. I picked Chibi-Usa up, rising to stand next to him and look out across the land. "Mamo-chan?"  
  
My soul mate blinked, giving me a small smile and placing his palm on Chibi-Usa's back in a calming measure. "Come on, let's go back to the temple and see what we can find there."  
  
I nodded, following him back through the garden and up the marble walkway to the temple. It rose up, gleaming white columns shining in the sun. Carefully we walked up the dozen steps that lead to the wide hall beyond. Chibi-Usa stopped crying and squirmed down, still grasping her father's hand tightly. I looked at her questionably, but she only leaned herself against his arm and looked around with wide blue eyes exactly like Mamo-chan's.  
  
"What's that?" I mumbled, squinting at what looked like a cage in the distance. If possible, I seen Chibi-Usa draw herself closer to Mamo-chan. I was about to question what it was she seemed so scared of when something flashed near the cage.  
  
We approached it carefully, and indeed it was a cage. A large cage... with a winged horse laying pitifully inside. I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands as Mamo-chan and Chibi-Usa stopped next to me, staring in disbelief. "We... we have to get him out!" Chibi-Usa suddenly screamed, reaching towards the cage.  
  
"No, Chibi-Usa!" I nearly screamed, grabbing Chibi-Usa and pulling her closer to me to keep her from reaching out. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I did not want her touching that cage.  
  
Unfortunately, I didn't think about stopping my husband from doing exactly what Chibi-Usa wanted. Before I could stop him, he reached forward with both hands and grabbed onto the bars, trying to pry them open. A brilliant light blasted out from the cage almost immediately; we were thrown backwards against the marble ground roughly. Everything in the temple started to shake, like the ground beneath us was trying to split apart to swallow us.  
  
Mamo-chan grabbed a shocked Chibi-Usa out of my arms, took my hand and nearly dragged me out of the temple and down the steps. I gasped at the scene that now played before me. The beautiful land was crumbling, the tree leaves died and fell to the ground in a matter of seconds, roses died, the river dried up and everywhere I looked seemed to be covered in spider webs that was blocking out the sun. Everything was becoming darker... and darker... Mamo-chan put his arm protectively around me, still holding Chibi-Usa as we watched the gorgeous world around us destroyed.  
  
Just as suddenly as it started, everything stopped. It was deathly quiet without the sound of the fountains, the breeze or the river winding past. Our breathes seemed echoed, our footsteps like gunshots ringing through the dark. I felt fear clutch at my heart and... evil. It was here. It destroyed this land.  
  
"Prince Endymion."  
  
I whipped around, seeing the young boy whom had appeared from the Pegasus only a short time ago in my home. He was bent to one knee, his right hand over his chest as he bowed to us. After a short pause, he looked back up slowly and a smile rose to his lips as the hollow winds played in his white hair. "Welcome back, Prince."  
  
"Helios," Mamo-chan whispered, putting Chibi-Usa down even though she stubbornly clutched his hand. "My God, are we in Ellison?"  
  
Helios' eyes flashed around the devastated land and he seemed to sigh inwardly; sadly. His serene blue eyes looked as lost and shadowed as the land around us. Slowly his gaze traveled back to Mamo-chan's and he nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so. What you seen when you first arrived is what this land had looked like since the beginning of time, but now... now it is destroyed. I failed to protect it."  
  
"Protect it from what?" I whispered, shivering as another cold wind sliced through the air. It chilled me to the very soul. Mamo-chan put his arm around me, but still I couldn't shake the cold from my body.  
  
"From the evil that came here and cast the darkness. Two weeks before the eclipse a lady appeared here one day, the Dark Queen from long ago. She wanted this land, she wanted the golden crystal; but I refused her. She tried to capture me, but I took on the Pegasus form and fled into a pure dream before she could. In my Pegasus form she can't detect me, but it's draining for me to stay that way long. I was fearful that she would find me hidden in your daughter's dream, so I tried to leave her. On the day of the eclipse I returned to Ellison, but as I feared, she found me and captured my body.  
  
"As the moon passed over the sun, she attacked this land, destroying everything in her path. I sent my essence back to Chibi-Usa, but I was so weak that I couldn't help Endymion except to bring you all back here."  
  
Mamo-chan and I exchanged looks, and then looked down at our daughter who was still holding frantically to Mamo-chan's hand. "Why--What does this have to do with what happened to me?" my husband asked slowly.  
  
"You are part of this land, as it's protector. Whatever happens to it, reflects in you. Shadows rule this land, blocking out the light -- so darkness is in you, I'm afraid. I prayed for your wellness, but I can only do so much. If the enemy isn't defeated soon, you will begin to weaken as the Earth does until..."  
  
His voice drifted off into the wind, but I felt like he had said the words. Pronounced them so that they were engraved in my mind. Chibi-Usa looked horrified, her blue eyes huge and unblinking.  
  
Suddenly the wind around us picked up. Mamo-chan's arm tightened around me as the wind lashed at our bodies unmercifully. As suddenly as we had landed in this strange, yet once beautiful land, we left it. It felt like we were being spun around, the wind thrashed against my body from every angle. My head began pounding as I spun faster and faster and then with a thud everything stopped.  
  
"Ugh..." I mumbled, trying to focus my eyes. I could feel something warm and soft laying against one side of my face. Slowly I blinked back the burning in my eyes and everything cleared. "Mamo-chan?"  
  
"It's okay, Usako," Mamo-chan said soothingly, pushing my hair from my face. I found myself laying on the bed beside Mamo-chan, my face buried in the feather pillow. Mamo-chan was sitting beside me and Chibi-Usa was laying on my other side.  
  
"Is she awake?" I heard someone say. I blinked again and seen Ami coming in the door. Mamo-chan nodded and Ami came over to lean over Chibi-Usa and feel of her skin. "She should be awake shortly," she concluded, standing again.  
  
"What happened?" I asked, sitting up slowly to keep the room from spinning again. My head was pounding.  
  
I suspected that Mamo-chan had been awake quite awhile longer than me, because Ami was ready with a glass of water and two aspirin as I sat up. I took them thankfully as she sat down in a chair across from us and crossed her legs. "You traveled to Ellison with Helios. Ellison is a strange place, between times, so to speak. It is protected from the normal human man finding it, but that makes it rather difficult to travel to. Your heading is hurting because of the shock your body received from making that journey. But you'll be okay in a couple of hours."  
  
"What about Chibi-Usa?" I mumbled, looking down at my still sleeping daughter.  
  
"She's just sleeping the effects off. She'll be okay," Ami said with confidence, so I let it go. If she was sure, then I could feel better about it. "Ho--"  
  
Ami's words dropped off, interrupted by the sudden appearance of Minako in the room. She looked out of breath, her eyes wide. "Minako-chan?" I asked worriedly.  
  
She shook her head, her blonde hair fanning out around her. "I--We--" she gasped for air and immediately I became more concerned.   
  
I sat up on the side of the bed, Mamo-chan already on his feet. "Minako, what's wrong?!"  
  
Her blue eyes still wide with shock and confusion, Minako's voice came to me in a whisper. "There's an attack at the temple.... Rei's grandfather... he's dead."  
  
--End Chapter 5.  
  
I'm soooo sorry that took so long! Really, I am! Now that I'm not too interested in my Sailor Moon fiction anymore, it's hard to write something that you all won't throw pots and pans at ^^;;  
  
If anyone reading this is a Harry Potter fan, make sure to check out my story "Lily Evans; A History" and the story I'm co-writing with Fleur: "Sirius Trouble". I promise they get updated more than this story does ^^;  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of those characters, I do own this story line, please don't snag it or I'll be forced to beat you into a plup. ^-^  
  
3 Bethany  
02.16.03 


	7. Battles over, time for war

@------  
Forever More  
Chapter 6 -- Battles over, time for war  
By: Bethany  
Editor: Meara  
Rated: PG  
@------  
  
I ran up the many stairs to the temple as fast as my legs would  
carry me. There was a stitch in my side that was sending sharp pains   
through out my stomach and chest, but still I ran. Even before we   
turned the corner to start up to the temple, we could see the smoke in   
the air. Thick, black smoke that told the tale of the devastation we   
would find.  
  
The fire trucks were parked on both the north and south streets,   
some of their sirens still blaring out across the city. In the far   
corner of the side lawn, sitting on the grass with her legs drawn up to   
her chest, I found Rei. Next to her was Yuuichirou, silent tears   
falling down his face, though he wiped at them in vain. He looked lost;   
his eyes falling down on the Priestess as if longing to hold her, but   
too frightened to move. I felt the stinging in my eyes long before I   
reached her, falling to my knees and wrapping my arms around her   
tightly. "Oh Rei-chan..."  
  
Rei sat stiff in my hold for several seconds, dry sobs rising in   
her throat that kept tears at bay. Her slim fingers dug painfully into   
my arms that held her, her eye lids shut tightly over her violet eyes.   
For several minutes I said nothing more, not daring to move, almost   
fearful of seeing Rei in such pain. I sensed, rather than saw Mamo-chan   
come up behind me, though he said nothing. I could feel my heart   
breaking beneath my breast.  
  
An hour later found us sitting side by side, our backs against a   
tree trunk, watching as the firemen assured themselves that the fire   
was indeed out. Mamo-chan and Yuuichirou were speaking with a couple of   
firemen while Makoto, Ami, Rei, Minako and I stared at the smoldering   
ashes of the once great temple in shock. Vaguely I remembered seeing   
Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna somewhere, but I had paid them little   
attention. Hotaru was watching my children.  
  
The sun drifted further behind the city's horizon, time beyond   
the walls of the temple moving on despite how it may have seemed frozen   
for us. Hazily I could see Mamo-chan motioning for me to come to him   
and I stood, saying nothing, no one asking questions as I walked up to   
my husband. "Mamo-chan?"  
  
"The police suspect arson," he deadpanned, wrapping both his arms   
around me tightly, as if it pained him as much as it did me to see the   
ruins. I couldn't even bring myself to feel properly stunned at his   
words, though somehow I had found it easier to deal with thinking it   
was an accident. My eyes wondered over to Rei, her eyes now dry, but   
the pain still evident there. "They'll begin an investigation right   
away."  
  
I nodded, biting my bottom lip. "Do you think... Rei-chan..?"  
  
"If she wants to stay at our house, that's fine. But I would   
think she would want to stay at Mako's, it's quieter there," he added   
as an afterthought. I had to agree with him there. Wearily we started   
over to where everyone else sat under the tree.  
  
"Rei-chan, you can stay at our--"   
  
Before I could finish, however, Rei waved her hand impatiently in   
the air. "No, thanks," she said faintly. "I'm just going to take care   
of a few things, then get a motel room or something."  
  
"Do you want us to go with you?" Minako asked, her blue eyes   
looking as troubled and as lost as I felt. How do you comfort someone   
who just lost their only parent figure and the only home they've known   
in one fatal blow? I couldn't recall anything anyone ever said to me to   
make the pain of my own personal losses any less, let alone think of   
anything to say now.  
  
"No, I'll be ok," Rei insisted, some of her usual fire bleeding   
into her voice, leaving no room for argument. With a heavy heart I   
allowed Mamo-chan to lead me to our car, taking one last longing look   
back towards Rei. She was still staring at the ruins in quiet   
disbelief.  
  
When we got back home, Minako retired to her room almost   
immediately. Mamo-chan looked in on the girls, both of which Hotaru had   
put to sleep with no problem. Chibi-Usa had woken barely five minutes   
after we left, and Hotaru had done her best to keep both my girls   
occupied while they waited for our return. She left and Mamo-chan got   
in the shower, leaving me to sit in the living room, pondering my   
thoughts. They weren't happy ones.  
  
I couldn't help but turn over the events of the last twenty four   
hours over and over in my head. Had we learned anything useful, or were   
there now more pieces to a puzzle that didn't fit together? Chibi-Usa   
had been acting strangely, the Priest of Ellison was harboring in my   
daughter's pure dream, this same Priest had somehow used the power of   
his "prayers" to restore Mamo-chan's health, if only for a while, there   
was four strange girls running around town, and Rei's temple suddenly   
erupts into flames, taking her grandfather down with them. Nothing fit   
together and my head was beginning to ache from the thoughts.  
  
"Usagi-chan?"  
  
I snapped my head back, my heart jumping in my chest at the sound   
of the new voice. Luna was sitting across from me, Artemis beside her,   
both looking extremely worried. I paused to catch my breath, one hand   
gripping the edge of the seat tightly. "You scared me," I said finally,   
not knowing exactly why I was so jumpy this evening. Of course, take a   
look at what had happened in the last day...  
  
"Gomen," Luna replied quickly. "Is Rei-chan ok?"  
  
"As can be expected, I suppose," I replied, another stab of pain   
puncturing my heart.  
  
"What about you?" Luna said as she came closer to look up into my   
face. I felt the sting of tears in my eyes.  
  
"I'll be ok," I told her gently. "This is just a lot, you know?   
And nothing fits together, there's no pattern. Everything is just   
there, without explanation." I shook my head. I wasn't making any sense   
and I knew it, though Luna nodded as if she understood. Sighing, I got   
to my feet. "I'm going to go lay down."  
  
I walked quietly to my room, checking first on Keri, who was   
sleeping, and then Chibi-Usa who was laying in her bed watching   
television. The shower was still running in the bathroom my husband and   
I shared as I laid down. I tried to keep my mind blank as I laid there,   
but couldn't. Minutes later I heard the shower cut off and Mamo-chan   
came out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist. "You ok?" he asked   
quietly as I opened my eyes and looked up at him.  
  
"Sure," I lied, watching a droplet of water fall from one shining   
black strain of hair to slide down his chest. I shivered despite   
myself. There he stood, looking for all the world as if nothing was   
wrong with him, when just a few short hours ago he could barely breath   
without pain.  
  
Just something else that didn't add up in the mystery that was my   
life.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Two days later I stood next to Rei as the final words were said   
and a fire lit under her grandfather's body. As the flames licked his   
skin and the surrounding leaves, blocking him almost completely from   
view, Rei finally broke down. I fell to my knees beside her as she   
sobbed into her hands, her entire body shaking madly. I felt my own   
tears, so well trapped for days, break forth and fall. As I watched the   
flames rise higher in the sky, I vowed to find out who done this and   
make them pay.  
  
Many more people than I would have thought possible came to the   
funeral. They lined the stairs that lead to the smoldering ruins of the   
temple, they crowded along the sidewalks, leaving small tokens of   
flowers or candles as a sign they had came. I was shocked to see people   
I didn't know crying silently beside us.  
  
The gathering afterwards seemed to last for hours on end. People   
kept showing up, and not enough people left. Faces began to mingle   
together, becoming blurry as they sought out Rei to touch her hand or   
offer a kind word. Over the years of tourist, it seemed Rei's   
grandfather had touched a lot of people's heart. So much so that I   
don't think even Rei realized it.  
  
Finally they started to diminish. I put my arm soothingly around   
Rei, guiding her towards her car. She needed rest so badly her eyes   
seemed to be shutting of their own accord. But like so many things of   
late, it wouldn't be so easy. We had barely made it to the bottom of   
the stairs when a long, slick black limousine pulled up to the curb. I   
felt Rei stiffen beside me as she caught sight.  
  
"Usagi, go on without me," Rei said faintly, her voice cracking   
like she had long ago forgotten how to use it properly. Despite her   
quivering voice, her hands balled into fists and a little spark of her   
familiar fire came into her eyes.  
  
"Is that your father?" I asked, not moving.  
  
Rei nodded slowly, stepping away from my embrace. "I'll join you   
in a moment," she said, more sternly this time. Unsure, I backed away,   
keeping my eyes on the car as a man in a suite and tie emerged from the   
driver's seat and went to the back of the vehicle to open the door.  
  
Rei stood stiffly as the door opened and one shiny black shoe   
emerged, followed by the man I presumed to be Rei's father. He was tall   
with jet black hair that matched his suite and tie perfectly. His body   
language suggested he was strictly professional as he walked up to Rei   
and held his arms out. He dropped them quickly in embarrassment when   
she stayed where she was.  
  
"Rei!" he greeted, ignoring the way she stared at him. "Look how   
beautiful you've grown. You look just like your mother," he beamed,   
though I could see from where I stood that his words were nothing more   
than that: words.  
  
Rei scoffed, crossing her arms. "How dare you speak of my mother   
when her father just died? How dare you have the guts to turn up today,   
knowing you are four hours too late?"  
  
"Now Rei, business--"  
  
"Damn your business, Hino," she said coldly, her violet eyes   
flashing with rage like I had only seen during a fight. Her waist   
length black hair fanned around her as the wind blew. "And damn you. If   
you step one foot on this holy ground, may the Gods strike you dead."   
And with that she turned on her heel.  
  
I felt my jaw drop just as Mamo-chan let out a low whistle to my   
right. I blinked, making sure I wasn't seeing things. Nope, he was   
still there and Rei was still walking away from him and towards her   
car. Mamo-chan put his hand to the small of my back and urged me   
forward. "Come on, let's go get the girls and follow her."  
  
"I'm coming, too," Makoto mumbled beside me. She and I walked   
over to get Keri and Chibi-Usa from Hotaru and went from there to the   
car. I faintly heard Yuuichirou ask if he could get a ride with Haruka   
to follow Rei. She must have agreed, because he followed her.  
  
Rei's father tried to catch our eyes as we passed, but I fiercely   
ignored him. He smiled down at Chibi-Usa, looking as if he would say   
something to her, but I pulled her closer and walked faster. Looking   
confused, she followed.  
  
The darkening clouds over the sea line that had been edging   
closer all morning now shadowed out the rays of the sun as I strapped   
Keri and Chibi-Usa into the car and got in. Makoto got in her car,   
parked behind ours, with Ami and Minako jumping in. We followed Rei,   
thinking she would go to the hotel room she had been staying in. To my   
surprise, she headed towards my house.  
  
By the time we pulled into the drive the wind was blowing   
something terrible. The clouds above looked angrier, threatening rain.   
Pushing my hair out of my face, I unbuckled Keri and picked her up as   
Mamo-chan helped Chibi-Usa out of her car seat. I watched as he heaved   
Chibi-Usa up and noted with worry that he looked tired for doing so.  
  
We had barely all gotten into the house when the clouds broke and   
the rain started pouring. With a whimper Keri cuddled further into my   
arms; Chibi-Usa's arms tightly encircling Mamo-chan's neck.  
  
The storm continued to rage on as we all sat in my living room.   
For a while no one spoke, causing the tension in the room to be so   
thick you could nearly cut it with a knife. Finally Michiru spoke,   
obliviously deciding our normal conversation was a safe bet. "Has your   
computer picked up any strange activity, Ami-chan?"  
  
The blue haired genius looked startled at being addressed before   
shaking her head no. "Your mirror?" she questioned back.  
  
"Actually, yes." Both Mamo-chan and I jerked our head up as she   
continued. "Just this morning, to be precise. I'm not sure what it   
means, though. It's nothing I can discern from the dark energy that has   
been hovering over the city since the eclipse."  
  
Keri picked up an ad from the paper and began flipping through it   
idly. "Then how do you know it's different?" Mako-chan asked.  
  
"It's... more subtle. The energy that has been lingering about is   
actually stronger than this. But if the enemy thinks they are going to   
do a sneak attack now; well, it's a little late, isn't it?" Michiru   
practically mumbled the last part to herself. "We already know their   
base is in the Black Moon Circus. What more information could their   
be?"  
  
"Much more, I'm afraid," Minako mumbled, pushing both her hands   
through her long blonde hair and sighing deeply. "Someone those girls   
called Nephelienia. Do you think she could be the master mind behind   
all of this?"  
  
"Did you say Nephelienia?" Artemis asked from the kitchen   
doorway, Luna at his side. His blue eyes were intense and serious as he   
walked forward.  
  
"Yeah, why?" Minako asked.  
  
The two cats sat down, looking gravely serious about something.   
Chibi-Usa looked up curiously from where she sat wedged between Mamo-  
chan and I. "Nephelienia was banned from this universe over two   
thousand years ago, by Queen Serenity herself," Luna began. "She led a   
group of rebels of the Silver Millieum that called themselves the Dark   
Moon or something like that. They tried to cast shadows over the Moon   
by blocking out the sun. Queen Serenity used the Silver Crystal and   
banned her and her gang to the far ends of the universe where they   
hadn't been heard of since."  
  
"Until now, that is, by what you're saying," Luna continued. "If   
this truly is Nephelienia, we are facing a huge threat to mankind."  
  
"Again," Makoto mumbled under her breath so that only a few of us   
heard her. "So, how did Queen Serenity defeat her last time? Can't we   
just duplicate that process?"  
  
"We could," Luna agreed. "If Usagi could tap into the true power   
of the ginzuishou and not use all of her live force to do so."  
  
"Any other options?" Mamo-chan asked, dismissing the last   
suggestion as if it were never said.  
  
"Find a weak spot in her power, perhaps," Artemis replied. He   
didn't look to convinced this idea would work.  
  
"What about the golden crystal and Helios?" Chibi-Usa mumbled,   
looking scared as the adults of the room sought out ways to dismember   
another enemy.  
  
Mamo-chan moved Chibi-Usa up on his lap, brushing a piece of   
strawberry blonde hair away from her face. "Chibi-Usa, do you know   
anything that could help us?"  
  
Her blue eyes huge, my daughter bit her lip, but didn't respond.   
I reached over, taking her hand in mine. "It's ok sweetie, we only want   
to help him, you know that. You can tell us."  
  
"But I promised Mama, and you told me not to make a promise I   
can't keep."  
  
That was good and all, and a part of me was thrilled she had been   
listening to me, but the larger part was wondering how to explain that   
it was ok to break a promise this time. The outlook didn't bode well on   
this one. Thank God her father thought to step in.  
  
"Chibi-Usa, if someone was planning on hurting me or your Mama,   
and made you promise not to tell, would you tell?"  
  
I could see Chibi-Usa's mind working as she bit her bottom lip   
and thought about this. She nodded her head yes, sending pink curls   
bouncing around. "Yes, because that would mean you would be hurt and I   
could have stopped it."  
  
I grinned, but Mamo-chan gave me a pointed look and brought   
Chibi-Usa's attention back to him. "Now, whatever Helios told you could   
help us stop that evil lady from hurting everyone on Earth. So it's ok   
to break this promise, you see?"  
  
After a silent moment that I sincerely thought might go on   
forever, Chibi-Usa nodded slowly, still gnawing on her bottom lip.   
"Helios told me that the evil lady in the circus has his body trapped   
because she wants the, eh, what was that rock again Mama?"  
  
"The golden crystal," I supplied helpfully and she nodded.  
  
"She wants to use it and make shadows here like in Helios'   
home." Done, Chibi-Usa burrowed back in Mamo-chan's arms, looking cross   
between happy she had been help and upset she had broke a promise.  
  
Unfortunately, the only thing she knew was what we already knew,   
except the part about where Helios' body was being kept. Hotaru got up,   
coming to kneel before Mamo-chan and I so that she was on Chibi-Usa's   
level. "Chibi-Usa-chan, I haven't seen your room since your Mama fixed   
it up. Would you show it to me?"  
  
"Go on," I told her when she looked at me with a hopeful   
expression. I couldn't blame her for wanting to get out of this   
stressful room; not to mention I didn't want her hearing what we had to   
discuss now. Chibi-Usa got down, taking Hotaru's hand and the two   
disappeared down the hall.  
  
I readjusted Keri on my lap and she sat, staring intently at the   
paper in her hand while sucking on her pacifier. Mamo-chan stared hard   
at the two of us for a moment, looking thoughtful.  
  
"Obviously, the enemies headquarters is in this Dark Moon   
Circus," Setsuna said, coming further into the room and taking the seat   
that Hotaru had just abandoned. She crossed her legs, idly swinging her   
foot a little. "So that would be the reasonable place to start. We need   
to plan a way to get in--" She was cut sharply off by the beeping of   
Ami's computer.  
  
Looking alarmed, Ami pulled her handheld computer out of her   
purse and flipped it open. At the same moment I noticed Mamo-chan reach   
up and grab his chest, trying not to let me see the intense pain on his   
face.  
  
"Looks like that might have been taken care of for us," Ami said   
urgently, typing on her computer. "We're being sent a message from   
Nephelienia as we speak."  
  
She typed intensely for a moment, all the while Mamo-chan   
glimpsed and rubbed his chest. I chewed on my bottom lip, waiting   
impatiently. For a few tense moments Ami said nothing until Minako   
finally said what I was getting ready to: "Well? What's going on?"  
  
"She wants the Sailor Senshi to come outside."  
  
Puzzled, I glanced out the window, but it was dark. Too dark, in   
my opinion, since it was roughly five in the afternoon. I put Keri down   
on the couch and went to the window. There seemed to be a film covering   
the glass, blocking out the sun. "What's going on?"  
  
"I don't know, but I say we go find out," Makoto said, jumping to   
her feet and pulling out her heshion stick.  
  
"It's a trap," Mamo-chan told us weakly, bending over slightly.   
"It's a trap to lure you out." He glimpsed, nearly doubling over.  
  
A silent battle began to go on in my heart, whether I should stay   
here or walk into what was without a doubt a trap. I meet Mamo-chan's   
steel blue eyes and knew instantly what had to be done. Pulling out my   
crystal, I mouthed 'I love you' to my husband. "Moon-Crystal Power --   
Make-UP!"  
  
@------  
  
I stood in my foyer for a moment, trying to clear my mind.   
Distantly in the house I could still hear Keri crying for me, and   
Chibi-Usa trying to console her. With one last look back into the   
darkness where my husband and children were, I swallowed and nodded my   
head to the eight Senshi that stood around me.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
I received eight nods as I reached for the door handle. As soon   
as the door opened a gust of icy cold wind burst into the house. We   
pushed our way out, shutting and locking the door behind us.  
  
The city was completely black, not even the street lamps could   
penetrate the darkness. I could faintly hear Mercury behind me, typing   
on her computer as we walked. She jogged a little to catch up with me,   
nodding towards my mailbox as we past. "Spider webs," she said simply,   
running her finger across the top of it. "It's nothing more than thick   
spider webs covering everything, blocking out the light."  
  
"Except for that," Saturn interrupted, pointing towards town.  
  
Sure enough there was a dim light shining into the sky where the   
Dark Moon circus tent resided, making everything around it turn a dull   
gray color. "Guess that's where we're headed, eh?" Jupiter mumbled.  
  
We took to the roof tops in a run, heading for the center of   
town. As we drew nearer the muffled sound of humming reached our ears.   
In the center of the city, leading to the large ship, was lines of the   
strangest looking circus creatures I had ever seen. They hummed a quick   
tune as we drew closer, as if showing us the way we were to go.  
  
Jumping back down to the Earth, we walked along the path, drawing   
nearer and nearer to the ship. With my fists drawn, I determinedly kept   
in pace with the other Senshi until we reached the end of the line, and   
thus the entrance to the circus tent. Hanging from swings that were   
hanging from thin air as far as I could see, were the four girls Minako   
and I had seen at the circus not even a week ago.  
  
"Welcome Sailor Senshi," CereCere said politely, giggling a   
little. "Our Queen awaits you, as does hell."  
  
--End Chapter 6.  
  
Whew!! Thought I'd never get that done. Hope everyone liked it, this   
story is almost done. The next, and last, story in the series has   
already been started and if I can pull off what I'm thinking of   
writing, it should be an ok read ^^;  
  
Usual disclaimer entered here. If you read, please review! I love   
hearing thoughts, suggestions and other such stuff. :)  
  
3 Bethany  
04.06.03 


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